"  ' 

<•':■'■'■; 

LIBRARY 

University  pf 
California 
Irvine 


z 

K63 


WAR  LIBRARIES 

AND 
ALLIED  STUDIES 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 


A  BOOK  OF  CARNEGIE 

LIBRARIES 

By 

Theodore  Wesley  Koch 


New  York,  H.  W.  Wilson  Co. 
19  i  7.    $3.5o 


Kadel  y  Herbirt,  New  York 


GIVE   HIM   BOOKS! 

Put  a  service  star  on  the  shelves  where  your  books  have  rested  too  long  in  idleness 


WAR   LIBRARIES 

AND 

ALLIED  STUDIES 


BY 

THEODORE  WESLEY  KOCH 


NINETY  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 
G.  E.  STECHERT  &  CO. 

1918 


COPYRIGHT,    191  8,    BY 
THEODORE    WESLEY    KOCH 


THE-PLIMPTON-PRESS 
NORWOODMASSUSA 


TO 

Dr.  HERBERT  PUTNAM 

LIBRARIAN  OF  CONGRESS  AND 

GENERAL  DIRECTOR,  A.  L.  A.  WAR   SERVICE 

BUT  FOR   WHOM   THESE   STUDIES   WOULD 

NEVER   HAVE   BEEN   WRITTEN 


PREFACE 

IN  January,  1917,  I  was  sent  by  the  Librarian  of 
Congress  on  a  special  mission  to  England.  The 
winter  was  a  very  severe  one.  The  first  librarian  I 
met  said  that  it  was  the  worst  that  they  had  had  in 
ten  years.  The  next  said  that  they  had  experienced 
nothing  like  it  in  twenty  years.  The  third  assured 
me  that  he  had  not  seen  its  equal  in  thirty  years.  I 
expected  shortly  to  hear  it  characterized  as  the  worst 
winter  within  the  memory  of  living  man.  I  contracted 
a  severe  case  of  influenza  and  bronchitis  and  was  sent 
to  a  private  hospital,  with  the  telegraphic  address  of 
"Ecstasy!" 

As  I  grew  better,  I  felt  the  need  of  something  to  read. 
The  matron  brought  me  a  miscellaneous  lot  of  books, 
together  with  a  volume  of  the  magazine  published  by 
the  British  prisoners  of  war  interned  at  Ruhleben. 
I  told  her  that  my  cupidity  was  excited  by  this  item, 
and  I  asked  her  how  she  had  secured  it.  It  seems 
that  she  had  a  brother  imprisoned  there.  What 
interested  me  especially  were  the  references  to  a  scheme 
for  supplying  books  to  British  prisoners  of  war. 

While  convalescing,  I  occupied  myself  with  writing 
up  the  educational  library  organization  which  Sir 
Alfred  T.  Davies  had  built  up  for  the  benefit  of  the 
student  captives.  When  I  was  able  to  get  out  and 
about,  I  chanced  one  day  upon  Mr.  Edgar  Wright's 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  trench  library  poster.  I  soon  got  in 
touch  with  Mr.  Basil  Yeaxlee,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Educa- 


VII 


Vlil  PREFACE 

tional  Secretary,  and  from  what  he  gave  me  I  was 
able  to  weave  a  story  about  this  special  library  work 
among  the  British  soldiers. 

Then  I  heard  of  the  wonderful  work  that  Mrs.  H. 
M.  Gaskell  had  been  doing  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
through  the  War  Library,  and  of  what  the  Camps 
Library  had  done  for  the  fit.  By  the  time  I  was 
ready  to  write  up  these  two  organizations,  I  suffered 
a  relapse  and  I  had  to  rely  upon  my  sister-in-law 
secretary,  Miss  Mary  Humphrey,  for  the  necessary 
interviewing  and  gathering  of  data. 

In  this  way  was  written  the  paper,  "Books  in  Camp, 
Trench  and  Hospital,"  which  I  sent  to  the  Louisville 
Meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association,  and 
which  J.  M.  Dent  &  Sons  printed  in  pamphlet  form 
in  London. 

I  gave  a  typewritten  copy  to  Dr.  Henry  Van  Dyke 
with  the  request  that  he  write  a  preface  for  it.  He 
took  the  paper  with  him  to  America  and  sent  back 
this  letter: 

"I  have  read  with  much  care  and  interest  your 
typewritten  statement  in  regard  to  'Books  in  camp, 
trench  and  hospital.'  It  needs  no  introduction.  All 
the  arguments  for  giving  a  supply  of  good  reading  to 
soldiers  as  a  part  of  the  spiritual  munitions  of  war 
are  lucidly  and  strongly  put  in  your  paper.  One  thing 
this  war  has  certainly  taught  the  world,  and  that  is 
that  victory  does  not  depend  solely  upon  'big  battal- 
ions,' but  upon  large  and  strong  and  brave  hearts  and 
minds  in  the  battalions.  The  morale  of  the  army  is 
the  hidden  force  which  uses  the  weapons  of  war  to 
the  best  advantage,  and  nothing  is  more  important  in 
keeping  up  this  morale  than  a  supply  of  really  good 
reading  for  the  men  in  their  hours  of  enforced  in- 


PREFACE  ix 

activity,  whether  they  are  in  campaign  preparing  for 
the  battle,  or  in  the  trench  waiting  to  renew  the  battle 
again,  or  in  hospital  wounded  and  trying  to  regain 
strength  of  body  and  mind  to  go  back  to  the  battle 
for  which  they  have  been  enlisted.  Human  fellowship, 
good  books,  and  music  are  three  of  the  best  medicines 
and  tonics  in  the  world.  I  believe  these  things  very 
thoroughly,  and  you  can  use  this  expression  of  belief 
in  any  way  which  may  seem  to  you  helpful.  I  should 
like  to  do  all  that  I  can  do  for  the  good  cause." 

The  paper  was  published  in  the  Library  Journal  for 
July  and  August,  191 7,  and  I  was  encouraged  to  write 
a  few  more  chapters  on  the  same  theme  for  the  October 
number. 

Then  the  Library  War  Service  of  the  American 
Library  Association  was  actively  begun,  with  head- 
quarters at  the  Library  of  Congress,  and  I  was  asked 
to  help  out  in  the  publicity  work.  My  contribution 
took  the  form  of  a  popular,  illustrated  account  of  the 
work. 

The  present  volume  contains  all  the  above  men- 
tioned studies,  revised  and  some  of  them  much 
amplified,  but  it  contains  also  some  cognate  papers 
which  are  here  published  for  the  first  time. 

The  paper  on  "British  Censorship  and  Enemy 
Publications"  was  a  report  made  to  the  Librarian  of 
Congress. 

The  account  of  the  University  of  Lou  vain  and  its 
Library  was  published  in  a  small  edition  by  J.  M. 
Dent  &  Sons  in  191 7,  and  was  later  reprinted  by  the 
British  Government.  Its  inclusion  in  the  present 
volume  has  enabled  me  to  make  a  few  additions,  though 
I  have  not  been  able  to  reproduce  the  illustrations  of 
the  English  editions,  which  were  chiefly  from  blocks 


X  PREFACE 

loaned  by  the  Belgian  Commission  of  Inquiry,  and 
which  could  not  be  exported  from  England. 

Thanks  are  due  to  the  many  friends  who  have 
helped  with  anecdotes  and  suggestions.  I  am  especially 
indebted  to  Miss  Mary  Merwin  Melcher  for  valuable 
assistance  in  reading  and  revising  the  proofs  as  the 
book  went  through  the  press. 

T.  W.  K. 

Library  of  Congress 
November  12,  1918 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I.    War    Service    of    the    American    Lirrary 

Association i 

i.    Camp  Libraries 3 

2.  Educational  Opportunities      ...  34 

3.  The  Work  Overseas 5i 

II.    British  Organizations 73 

i.    The  British  War  Library       ...  75 

2.  The  British  Camps  Library    ...  85 

3.  The  British  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Library     .  g4 
4-    British     Prisoners     of     War     Book 

Scheme  (Educational)    .      .      .      .  io5 
5.    The  Military  Hospital,  Endell  Street, 

London 116 

III.    Books  and  Bullets i25 

1.  Military  Hospital  Libraries  .      .      .  127 

2.  Books  for  Prisoners  of  War       .      .  i48 

3.  Letters  from  the  Front  .      .      .      .  i64 

4.  Pictures  and  Poetry 178 

5.  The  Bible  in  the  Trenches   .      .      .  191 

6.  Books  for  Blinded  Soldiers  .      .      .  201 

7.  Singing  Soldiers 210 

xi 


xii  CONTENTS 

IV.    British  Censorship  and  Enemy  Publications  227 

V.   The  University  of  Louvain  and  its  Library  253 

Index 281 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Give  Hem  Books! Frontispiece 

Put  a  service  star  on  the  shelves  where  your 
books  have  rested  too  long  in  idleness. 

i.  A  Typical  A.  L.  A.  Camp  Library   Facing  page        4 
The  Carnegie  Corporation  gave  $320,000  to 
defray  the  cost  of  erecting  32  buildings  of  this 
type.    The  library  automobile   is  used   in  the 
collecting  and  delivery  of  books. 

2.  Interior  of  A.  L.  A.  Library,  Camp  Sheridan        5 

Typical  view,  showing  arrangement  of  the 
bookcases,  alcoves,  and  charging  desk. 

3.  A.  L.  A.  Camp  Library  at  the  Great  Lakes 

Naval  Training  Station,  Camp  Perry, 

Illinois 8 

This  building  was  erected  at  the  expense  of  a 
private  individual. 

4.  Library  Alcoves,  A.  L.  A.  Camp  Library,  Camp 

Perry,  Great  Lakes,  Illinois 9 

Books  for  "Soldiers  of  the  Sea." 

5.  A.  L.  A.  Library,  Camp  Lewis 12 

Delivery  desk,  showing  charging  and  return- 
counters.  The  percentage  of  non-fiction  reading 
being  done  in  the  camp  libraries  is  higher  than  in 
the  average  public  library. 

6.  Magazines  and  Newspapers  are  Popular  in 

the  Camp  Libraries i3 

The  men  are  anxious  to  get  the  news  and  to 
keep  up  on  general  reading.  The  demand  for 
technical  books  is  constant  and  insistent. 

xiii 


XIV  ILLUSTRATIONS 

7.  Branch  Library  in  a  Knights  of  Columbus 

Building 20 

Special  collections  of  books  are  maintained  in 
branches  of  this  kind. 

8.  Reading  Room  in  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Hostess  House, 

Camp  Devens     21 

The  hostess  house  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
welfare  centers  in  camp. 

9.  Browsing  in  the  Alcoves  of  the  A.  L.  A. 

Library  at  Camp  Upton it\ 

All  kinds  of  books  for  all  kinds  of  men. 

10.  Library  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Tent  at  Vancouver 

Barracks 25 

Technical  books  are  in  great  demand  among 
these  men,  who  are  working  in  the  lumber  mills. 

11.  Women  are  Serving  as  Librarians  in  some  of 

the  Camps 28 

Library  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hut,  in  the  cantonment 
of  the  Spruce  Division  of  the  Signal  Corps,  Van- 
couver Barracks. 

12.  Branch  Ld3rary,  Vancouver  Barracks  ...       29 

The  A.  L.  A.  cooperates  with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
K.  of  C,  and  Y.  M.  H.  A. 

i3.  Student  Officers  at  Fort  Myer,  Virginia    .   .      36 
About  2000  men  are  being  prepared  for  com- 
missions in  the  new  army  at  this  officers'  train- 
ing camp. 

i(\.   Class  in  English,  Camp  Custer      37 

Of  great  value  in  the  Americanization  of  the 
foreign  born  and  in  the  education  of  native  illit- 
erates. 

1 5.  A  Class  in  Geography  and  History 4o 

"  Jackies"  being  given  a  drill  in  the  rudiments 
of  essential  studies. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  XV 

16.   Books  Being  Studied  by  the  Crew  of  a  Dread- 
nought   

School  in  session  on  board  the  "Arkansas." 


4i 


17.  Studying  French  in  the  Camp  at  Gettysburg      44 

The  men  are  taught  the  phrases  in  every-day 
use  in  army  life  "over  there." 

18.  A    Corner    in    the    Library    of    the    Cana- 

dian   Soldiers'   College,   Seaford,    Sussex, 

England 45 

Collateral  reading  for  a  great  variety  of 
courses  in  this  khaki  university. 

19.  Book  Campaign  Conducted  from  the  Steps  of 

the  New  York  Public  Library 52 

More  than  600,000  gift  books  have  been 
taken  in  at  this  point. 

20.  Books  being  Prepared  in  the  Boston  Public 

Library  for  Library  War  Service    ....       53 

Similar  work  is  going  on  in  libraries  throughout 
the  country. 

a  1.  The   American   University   Union,   an   Army 

Club  for  College  Men  in  Paris 56 

Established  by  the  joint  action  of  a  score  of 
American  colleges  and  universities. 

22.  Reading  Room  in  the  American   University 

Union,  Rue  Richelieu,  Paris 57 

Aims  to  meet  the  needs  of  American  university 
and  college  men  who  are  in  Europe  for  military 
or  other  service  in  the  cause  of  the  Allies. 

23.  A.  L.  A.  Library  War  Service  Dispatch  Office, 

Hoboken,  N.J 60 

Over  100,000  volumes  per  month  are  being  sent 
overseas  from  this  and  the  five  other  dispatch 
offices. 


xvi  ILLUSTRATIONS 

il\.  Cases  of  Books  Ready  for  Overseas  Shipment      6i 
The  books  are  circulated  on  the  transports  and 
again  boxed  at  the  end  of  the  voyage. 

25.  British     Library     Headquarters,     London 

Chapter,  American  Red  Cross 6/j 

In  England  and  France  the  A.  L.  A.  books 
reach  the  American  soldiers  in  hospital  through 
the  Red  Cross. 

26.  Library  War  Service  in  France 65 

Upper:  Circulating  A.  L.  A.  books  in  a 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  hut.  Lower:  Stockroom,  A.  L.  A. 
headquarters,  Paris. 

27.  Upper:    From     Cotton     Fields     to     Khaki. 

Colored  Stevedores,  for  whom  their  Chap- 
lain Solicited  A.  L.  A.  Books 68 

Lower:    American    Sailors    in    the    Reading 
Room  of  one  of  their  Clubs  in  England.    .       68 

28.  In  Aix-les-Bains,  the  Recreation  Center  of 

the    American     Expeditionary     Force     in 

France 69 

U.  S.  soldiers  reading  newspapers  in  front  of 
the  Casino. 

29.  War  Library  Headquarters 76 

Surrey  House,  Marble  Arch,  London. 

30.  The  British  Red  Cross  Society  and  Order  of 

St.    John   Gets   its    Supply  of  Books  and 
Magazines  through  the  War  Library.    .    .       77 

3i.   Newspapers  in  the  Trenches 84 

British  soldiers  interested  in  reading,  although 
the  enemy  is  but  a  thousand  yards  away. 

82.  Owing  to  a  Scarcity  of  Literary  Matter  at 
the  Front,  the  British  Soldiers  Were  some- 
times Reduced  to  Telling  Stories    ....       85 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xvii 

33.  Camps    Library    Headquarters,    Horseferry 

Road,  London 92 

9,000,000  pieces  have  been  sent  out  to  the 
British  soldiers  by  this  organization. 

34.  The  Book  Line  at  a  British  Army  Post    .    .      93 

Books  fill  a  definite  need  which  bread  cannot 
satisfy. 

35.  Something   to  Read   is   Appreciated   by   the 

Nurses    and   by   the   Mothers   who   Visit 
their  Sons  in  Hospital 96 

36.  Reading  Room  in  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 

Club,  No.  ii,  Rue  Royale,  Paris 97 

Here  are  to  be  had  American  publications,  for 
which  there  is  a  keen  demand. 

37.  Books  in  the  Trenches     100 

Opening   a   box   sent    out    by    the    British 
Y.  M.  C.  A. 

38.  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Hut  in  France 101 

M.  Clemenceau  says  that,  in  his  judgment, 
this  kind  of  welfare  work  is  essential  to  victory. 

3g.   Reading  his  Home  Paper 108 

The  paper  which  he  just  glanced  at  when 
home  is  now  eagerly  devoured. 

4o.  Newspapers  Being  Delivered  to  the  Inhabi- 
tants of  Bapaume  and  Noyon  Shortly 
after  their  recapture ioq. 

4i.   Library  and  Reading  Room  of  the  Military 

Hospital,  Endell  Street,  London     ....     116 
The  hospital  is  officered  entirely  by  women. 

42.  Two  "Tommies"  in  Hospital,  Discussing  the 

News 117 

Men  who  have  been  through  it,  are  fond  of 
comparing  notes  and  keeping  posted. 


xvm  ILLUSTRATIONS 

43.  Library  in  Hotel  Earlington,  New  York  City     124 
Maintained  by  the  War  Camp  Community 
Service  for  enlisted  men  and  officers  in  both 
branches  of  the  service. 

44-   Crew  in  Crew's  Reading  Room 125 

The  recent  magazines  and  newspapers  are 
eagerly  devoured  by  our  guardians  of  the  sea. 

45.  General  View  of  Field  Hospital, ,  France     128 

Books,  magazines,  and  newspapers  must  be 
provided  for  all  who  wish  to  read. 

46.  American  Base  Hospital  No.  6,  Somewhere 

in  France 129 

Books  are  needed  in  all  our  military  hospitals. 

47.  Cheerful  Reading i32 

A  convalescent  soldier  "over  there"  enjoying 
the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

48.  Reading  Room  on  a  Hospital  Ship i33 

Technically  known  as  the  "Solarium." 

4g.  A  Ward  in  the    Base    Hospital,    Camp 

McClellan i4o 

Everywhere  an  interest  is  manifested  in  books 
and  current  magazines. 

5o.   A.  L.  A.  Truck  Stopping  at  a  Ward  of  the  Base 

Hospital,  Camp  Kearny i4i 

The  very  latest  magazines  and  cleanest  copies 
are  reserved  for  this  service.  A  protest  goes  up 
if  the  truck  is  behind  time. 

5i.  Reading  Room  in  Base  Hospital,  No.  1,  Gun 

Hill  Road,  Bronx,  N.Y i48 

The  A.  L.  A.  is  now  sending  out  to  the  military 
hospitals  librarians  who  are  specially  fitted  to 
cater  to  the  needs  of  the  patients. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xix 

52.  An  Everyday  Scene  on  the  Porches  of  the 

Hospital  Wards  at  Vancouver  Barracks  .     149 

Each  ward  is  supplied  with  a  case  of  about 
forty  books.  Paper  covered  books  go  to  the  iso- 
lation and  contagious  wards. 

53.  A  Hospital  Branch  of  the  A.  L.  A.  Library  at 

Camp  McClellan i56 

Those  who  cannot  leave  their  beds  are  served 
from  a  book  wagon  or  tray  on  wheels. 

54.  Librarian  and  Orderly  Visiting  a  Ward  in  the 

Base  Hospital,  Camp  Devens,  Massachusetts    157 

Technical  books  are  frequently  asked  for  by 
men  who  wish  to  keep  up  in  their  special  line  of 
work. 

55.  Prisoners  of  War  Reading  after  Lunch    .    .     160 

The  men  who  read  and  study  "are  pro- 
tected against  the  infectious  poison  of  their 
captivity." 

56.  French   Prisoners   of  War   in  Barracks  at 

Darmstadt 161 

Improvised  sleeping  accomodations. 

57.  Books,    Music,    and    Writing    Facilities    in 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building  at  Camp  Dix  ....     i64 

Forces  tending  to  keep  up  the  morale  of  the 
men. 

58.  Periodicals  for  the  Soldiers  Guarding  the 

Arsenal  at  Watertown,  Massachusetts  .    .     i65 

59.  A  Bugler  Reading  by  Flashlight  in  his  Tent    168 

A  book  of  travel  or  romance,  a  magazine,  or 
even  a  newspaper,  often  proves  a  "  magic  carpet" 
by  which  one  is  happily  carried  far  from  the  war. 


XX  ILLUSTRATIONS 

60.  Interior  of  a  Dugout  in  France,  Showing  the 

Elephant  Iron  Construction 169 

Here,  often  by  the  light  of  a  candle,  a  map  is 
scanned,  a  paper  read  or  a  book  studied. 

61.  Branch   Lihrary,    K.    of   C.    Building,    Camp 

Kearny 172 

On  Sept.  1,  1918,  i5o  K.  of  C.  buildings  had 
erected  and  as  many  more  were  under  way. 

62.  Reading  ry  the  Fireside 173 

A  touch  of  home  at  Camp  Upton. 

63.  Reading  and  Resting  in  Barracks 180 

A  scene  from  everyday  life  at  Camp  Meade. 

64.  Students  in  Khaki 181 

The  amount  of  serious  reading  done  in  camp 
is  a  source  of  constant  surprise. 

65.  American  Navy  Officers  Reading  in  the  Ward 

Room  of  a  Destroyer  at  Sea i84 

Everything  movable  is  lashed  up  so  that  it  will 
stay  in  position. 

66.  A  Lihrary  Tarle  in  Barracks,  Camp  Upton  .    .     i85 

Many  barracks  are  provided  with  small  col- 
lections of  books,  which  are  changed  from  time 
to  time. 

67.  Gudding  the  Reader 188 

Many  of  the  men  need  aid  in  book  selection. 

68.  Hospital  Train      189 

It  is  important  that  our  soldiers  be  provided 
with  reading  matter  while  on  long  journeys. 

69.  Printing  the  Testaments  for  the  Army  and 

Navy     192 

The  American  Bible  Society  has  furnished  a 
million  testaments  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for  our 
soldiers  and  sailors 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xxi 

70.  Packing  the  Khaki-covered  Testaments  for 

the  Soldiers ig3 

The  aim  is  to  furnish  one  for  every  man  in  the 
service. 

71.  Testaments  being  Distributed  by  the  New 

York  Bible  Society 196 

The  work  is  highly  commended  by  General 
Leonard  Wood  and  Rear-Admiral  Usher. 

72.  Using  Y.  M.  C.  A  Building  at  Camp  Kelly  on 

Sunday  Morning  for  Reading  and  Writing 

after  Service 197 

Combination  auditorium  and  club  room. 

73.  Class  Room  in  St.  Dunstan's  Hostel,  London    20^ 

Each  pupil  has  an  individual  instructor. 

74-  The  Miracle  of  St.  Dunstan's 2o5 

Blinded  soldier  being  taught  the  use  of  a  writ- 
ing machine. 

75.  Light  out  of  Darkness 208 

Upper:  Making  an  embossed  map  of  the  seat 
of  the  war.  Lower:  Braille  sheet  with  diagram 
showing  the  range  of  projectiles. 

76.  Printing  the  War  News  for  Blind  Soldiers    209 

Some  of  the  women  operatives  are  blind. 

77.  Singing   Soldiers   at   Student   Officers'   Re- 

serve Training  Camp,  Fort  Benjamin  Har- 
rison   212 

The  leader  is  Paul  Hyde  Davies,  a  grand-opera 
singer. 

78.  U.  S.  Marines  Receiving  Singing  Lessons    .    .     2i3 

A  new  and  successful  feature  of  modern  camp 
activities. 


xxii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

79.  Singing  in  a  Knights  of  Columbus  Building, 

Camp  Hancock 220 

Singing  is  one  of  the  best  forces  tending  to  keep 
up  the  morale  of  the  army. 

80.  American  Soldiers  Singing  Hymns  by  a  French 

Roadside 221 

81.  British  Postal  Censorship 228 

A  room  in  Strand  House,  Carey  Street,  Lon- 
don, where  condemned  letters  will  be  held  until 
the  end  of  the  war. 

82.  The  Work  of  the  Postal  Censorship  ....     236 

In  this  room  information  concerning  enemy 
firms  in  all  parts  of  the  world  is  collected  and 
indexed. 

83.  Books    Looted   by    the    Germans   from    the    260 

Public  Library  at  Montdidier,  France  .    . 

These  books  were  piled  behind  the   enemy 

lines  to  be  taken  away,  but  the  French  advance 

was  so  rapid  that  the  German  plan  was  thwarted. 

84-   Ruins  of  Louvain 261 

"  Louvain  will  remain  perhaps  the  classic 
instance  of  Schrecklichkeit."    Brand  Whitlock. 

85.  Pen  and  Ink  Sketch  of  the  Library  of  the 

University  of  Louvain 268 

Drawn  on  the  spot  by  Louis  Berden. 

86.  Ruins  of  the  Library  of  the  University  of 

Louvain 269 

Pen  and  ink  sketch  drawn  on  the  spot  by  Louis 
Berden. 


WAR  SERVICE  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION 


I.   WAR   SERVICE   OF  THE  A.L.A. 

I.    CAMP   LIBRARIES 

THE  social  side  of  the  Great  War  presents  some 
new  topics  which  certainly  were  not  prominent 
in  previous  conflicts.  One  of  these  is  the  pro- 
vision of  food  for  the  minds  of  the  fighting  men.  Pre- 
vious wars  had  shown  us  how  to  equip  and  administer 
commissary  departments  and  canteens,  but  they 
taught  us  little  of  present-day  value  as  to  what  the 
men  now  called  to  the  colors  would  need  in  the  way  of 
literary  or  intellectual  equipment. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Lockwood,  a  Civil  War  veteran,  says  that 
he  can  recall  no  incident  of  books  being  available  to 
the  soldiers  of  the  '6o's  with  the  exception  of  the  few 
which  were  sent  to  hospitals  in  or  near  Washington 
and  in  a  few  of  the  Northern  cities.  The  men  relied 
almost  entirely  on  Harper's  and  Frank  Leslie's  Weekly; 
but  in  addition  to  these  magazines  they  longed  for  in- 
teresting books  to  read.  Major  George  Haven  Put- 
nam in  a  recent  address  in  New  York  City  recalled 
the  fact  that  two  English  grammars  were  eagerly  read 
and  passed  along  among  the  men  shut  up  in  Libby 
prison. 

More  fortunate  were  the  Connecticut  regiments, 
where  libraries  were  a  part  of  the  regimental  equip- 
ment. These  libraries  by  July,  1862,  numbered  1284 
volumes  and  545o  magazines,  shelved  and  locked  in 
strong  portable  cases  with  a  written  catalogue  and 
proper  regimental  labels.    The  books  were  on  a  great 

3 


4       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

variety  of  subjects  and  were  of  good  quality.  They 
were  in  charge  of  Professor  Francis  Way  land,  who 
purchased  some  25o  of  the  latest  books  so  as  to  make 
sure  of  having  up-to-date  material  in  the  collection. 

"It  is  the  most  convenient  thing  imaginable," 
wrote  Chaplain  Hall  of  the  Tenth  Connecticut  Vol- 
unteers. "I  have  constructed  a  long  writing-desk,  on 
which  I  place  all  the  papers  which  you  so  kindly 
furnish  me;  at  the  end  of  the  desk  is  my  library  of 
books.  You  will  always  find  from  ten  to  fifty  men  in 
the  tent,  reading  and  writing.  The  library  is  just  the 
thing  needed.  The  books  are  well  assorted,  and 
entertaining." 

"The  nicely-selected  stock  was  gone  in  two  hours 
after  I  had  opened  the  box,"  wrote  Chaplain  Morris  of 
the  Eighth  Connecticut  Volunteers.  "Since  that  time, 
the  delivery  and  return  of  books  has  occupied  several 
hours  a  day.  Dickens  has  a  great  run.  The  tales  of 
Miss  Edgeworth  and  T.  S.  Arthur  are  very  popular. 
The  Army  and  Navy  Melodies  are  hailed  with  delight, 
and  'the  boys'  are  singing  right  merrily  almost  every 
night.  Day  before  yesterday,  I  received  a  box  of 
pamphlets  from  the  Commission.  There  were  half  a 
dozen  men  ready  to  open  the  box,  and  twenty  more  at 
hand  to  superintend  the  process  and  share  the  contents. 
The  demand  for  reading  is  four  times  the  supply." 

The  Commission  referred  to  is  the  United  States 
Christian  Commission  which  prepared  and  sent  out 
2i5  collections  of  125  volumes  each,  and  70  collections 
of  75  volumes  each.  These  libraries  were  widely 
distributed  through  the  army,  having  been  placed  in 
the  general  hospitals,  at  the  permanent  posts  and  large 
forts,  and  on  war  vessels.  Chaplain  J.  C.  Thomas 
of  the  88th  Illinois  Regiment  became  general  reading 


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CAMP     LIBRARIES  5 

agent  for  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  "The  nearer 
you  can  bring  the  home  to  the  army,"  said  he,  "the 
more  useful  you  are."  As  an  illustration  of  the  re- 
gard in  which  the  soldiers  of  the  Civil  War  held  such 
books  as  they  possessed,  it  is  related  that  when  General 
Hooker  started  to  cross  the  Potomac,  two  Pennsyl- 
vania cavalrymen  came  into  the  old  church  at  Fairfax 
Court  House  bearing  their  regimental  library  of  ioo 
volumes  on  their  shoulders.  The  books  had  been  with 
the  regiment  for  a  year  and  a  half  and,  thinking  that 
they  would  become  separated  from  them,  it  was 
proposed  to  turn  the  books  over  to  the  Christian 
Commission  for  the  use  of  some  regiment  of  infantry. 

Under  the  title  "How  a  Soldier  may  Succeed  after 
the  War,"  Russell  H.  Conwell  has  recently  published 
a  score  of  stories  of  men  in  the  Civil  War  whose  success 
in  after  life  was  traceable,  in  part  at  least,  to  their 
application  to  books  during  their  leisure  hours  while 
in  the  army. 

During  the  Spanish-American  war  a  private,  dis- 
covered with  a  set  of  correspondence  school  books, 
was  told  that  he  would  have  to  get  rid  of  them,  and 
they  were  only  saved  by  his  captain  coming  to  his  aid. 

Mr.  Raymond  B.  Fosdick  says  that  while  he  was 
on  the  Mexican  border  in  the  summer  of  1916,  as  the 
train  stopped  at  the  watering  tanks  soldiers  would 
come  through  and  ask  whether  the  passengers  had 
anything  to  read,  —  a  book,  a  magazine,  or  even  a 
newspaper.  The  soldiers  had  little  to  do  and  abso- 
lutely nothing  to  read. 

The  methods  of  warfare  have  been  revolutionized  and 
more  is  expected  of  the  soldiers  of  to-day  than  ever 
before.  Innumerable  technical  subjects  must  be  stud- 
ied;   highly  specialized  branches  must  be  mastered. 


6      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Books  must  be  within  reach.  Not  only  do  the  stu- 
dents in  khaki  call  for  more  than  did  the  old  soldiers 
in  blue  and  gray,  but  more  is  demanded  of  them  in 
return. 

"The  training  camp  of  to-day  is  not  essentially 
different  from  a  big  university,"  Mr.  Raymond  B. 
Fosdick  tells  us.  '  The  fellows  work  and  study  a  good 
deal  harder  in  the  training  camps  than  they  would  in 
a  university.  This  war  is  a  highly  specialized  affair. 
It's  a  modern  science  which  the  men  must  learn  by 
studious  application  to  the  problems  of  drill  and 
trench.  They  acquire  the  habit  of  study,  of  appli- 
cation, in  the  training  camp  of  to-day." 

A  camp  librarian  recently  told  me  a  story  that  bears 
out  the  comparison  and  contrast  between  a  camp  and 
a  university.  A  young  reserve  officer  on  returning 
a  book  to  the  camp  library  remarked  that  it  was  the 
first  book  he  had  read  in  four  years.  When  asked 
what  he  had  been  doing  in  that  period,  he  replied: 
"  Going  to  the  University  of  M ." 

Life  in  the  camps  and  cantonments  lacks  many  of 
the  pleasures  or  diversions  to  which  the  average  new- 
coming  soldier  has  been  accustomed.  To  a  great 
extent  the  cantonments  are  isolated,  and  sometimes 
far  distant  from  the  home  states  of  the  troops  there 
assembled.  To  take  away  some  of  the  dreariness  of 
this  isolation,  varied  provision  has  been  made  for 
the  leisure  hours  of  the  boys  in  khaki.  A  novel  and 
effective  effort  along  this  line  has  been  the  establish- 
ment of  the  American  Library  Association  Camp 
Libraries. 

Upon  the  entrance  of  the  United  States  into  the 
war,  the  president  of  the  A.  L.  A.  appointed  a  War 
Service  Committee  which  made  its   first   report    at 


CAMP     LIBRARIES  7 

the  annual  conference  of  the  Library  Association 
at  Louisville  in  June.  The  committee  was  at  that 
time  further  organized  and  its  work  formulated. 
Sub-committees  on  finance  (Dr.  Frank  P.  Hill,  Chair- 
man) publicity,  and  book  collecting  (among  others) 
were  appointed. 

On  learning  of  these  plans,  the  Commission  on 
Training  Camp  Activities  by  a  unanimous  vote 
invited  the  A.  L.  A.  to  assume  the  responsibility  for 
providing  adequate  library  facilities  in  the  camps 
and  cantonments.  It  seemed  natural  to  ask  the 
Association  to  handle  this  problem  for  the  govern- 
ment because  as  an  organization  it  could  call  to  its 
services  the  necessary  trained  help. 

The  Secretary  of  War  having  appointed  ten  nation- 
ally known  men  and  women  as  a  Library  War  Council 
to  aid  in  an  appeal  for  funds,  it  was  decided  to  raise 
by  private  subscription  a  million  dollars  with  which 
to  carry  on  the  work.  It  was  felt  that  this  was  the 
least  amount  for  which  the  needed  buildings  could  be 
erected,  equipped  and  administered,  and  the  soldiers 
supplied  with  reading  matter  at  the  front,  in  the  field, 
in  cantonments  and  training  camps,  and  on  board  the 
troop-ships. 

The  financial  campaign  was  successful  in  raising 
the  money  asked  for  —  and  two-thirds  as  much  again. 
A  campaign  for  books  was  conducted  at  the  same  time 
as  the  campaign  for  funds,  resulting  in  the  receipt 
of  over  200,000  volumes  for  immediate  service.  These 
were  collected  at  central  points  and  delivered  either 
at  the  camps  or  at  designated  depots  for  transporta- 
tion abroad.  It  was  planned  to  use  the  funds  largely 
for  books  of  a  serious  nature,  as  it  was  anticipated 
that   the   lighter   books   would   be    largely   supplied 


8      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

by  gift.  The  campaign  for  books  was  to  continue 
as  long  as  the  war  lasted,  as  would  also  the  need  for 
funds  if  the  war  were  to  last  as  long  as  some  people 
predicted.  The  Carnegie  Corporation  made  a  grant 
of  $10,000  for  each  of  the  proposed  thirty-two  camp 
libraries,  and  a  similar  sum  was  received  from  another 
source  for  a  library  building  at  the  Great  Lakes  Naval 
Training  Station. 

In  October,  19 17,  at  the  request  of  the  War  Service 
Committee  of  the  American  Library  Association,  Dr. 
Herbert  Putnam,  Librarian  of  Congress,  took  over 
the  direction  and  control  of  the  War  Service  work. 
Headquarters  were  established  in  the  Library  of 
Congress.  Here  there  is  competent  oversight  of  the 
work  at  the  camps  and  careful  administration  of  the 
Fund,  with  a  scrutinizing  accounting  of  all  expendi- 
tures. Prompt  attention  is  paid  to  the  needs  and 
opportunities  for  service  as  reported  by  the  librarians 
in  charge  at  the  camps.  Considerate  attention  is 
paid  to  the  relations  with  other  organizations  and 
branches  of  the  government  service.  An  earnest 
appeal  for  material  is  being  sent  out  and  its  distri- 
bution properly  looked  after.  The  headquarters  also 
serve  as  a  clearing-house  for  information,  experiences 
of  camp  librarians,  and  a  place  for  conferences  between 
workers  themselves. 

An  earnest  and  successful  effort  has  been  made  to 
keep  administrative  expenses  down  to  a  minimum. 
Every  dollar  saved  means  another  book  bought. 
The  headquarters  in  the  Library  of  Congress  are 
supplied  without  cost  to  the  Fund.  The  personnel 
consists  largely  of  volunteers.  Much  of  the  assem- 
bling and  despatching  of  material  at  local  points  is 
done   by   the   local   librarians,   volunteering   for   this 


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special  war  service.  Expensive  formalities  in  the 
way  of  complicated  classification  and  cataloguing 
have  been  avoided.  There  is  ordinarily  no  catalogue 
record  of  fiction.  Non-fiction,  which  represents  the 
expenditure  of  much  money,  is  being  roughly  classified, 
just  enough  to  bring  the  large  groups  of  kindred  books 
together. 

Two  months'  resident  service  was  asked  of  the  library 
organizers.  For  this  work  men  were  lent  by  their 
library  trustees,  given  leave  with  pay,  their  expenses 
being  met  by  the  Association.  A  number  of  high- 
grade  men  were  secured  for  this  form  of  service. 

Some  of  the  camp  librarians  are  volunteers;  others 
are  paid  a  small  salary.  There  is  also  a  paid  assistant 
provided  with  subsistence.  Some  provision  is  likewise 
made  for  janitor  service  and  the  expenses  of  the  local 
volunteers. 

Although  the  work  has  been  simplified  as  far  as 
possible  at  headquarters,  additional  men  are  still 
needed  for  this  Camp  Library  service,  since  the  em- 
ployment of  women  is  permitted  only  in  certain  cases. 
Women  are,  however,  permitted  to  do  volunteer  work 
in  connection  with  library  service.  Where  the  camp 
is  adjacent  to  a  town  the  supervision  of  the  camp 
library  has  in  some  cases  been  entrusted  to  the  woman 
who  is  chief  librarian  of  the  local  public  library. 
Women  librarians  desiring  to  proffer  volunteer  service 
of  this  permitted  type  are  requested  to  communicate 
with  the  camp  librarian.  At  Camp  Sherman  the  tech- 
nical work  of  getting  the  books  ready  for  the  library 
was  placed  under  the  direction  of  the  daughter  of  the 
Commanding  Officer,  a  graduate  of  Pratt  Institute 
Library  School.  Her  volunteer  assistants  were  re- 
cruited mainly  from  the  wives  of  officers  at  the  camp, 


10      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

many  of  whom  welcomed  the  opportunity  to  help. 
This  volunteer  staff  does  its  work  at  the  Chillicothe 
Public  Library  and  is  capable  of  preparing  about 
3oo  books  a  day. 

Books  are  sent  to  the  camp  librarian  from  libraries 
which  have  been  collecting  them  from  citizens.  All 
books  must  be  delivered  at  storehouses  of  the  Quarter- 
master's Corps,  and  must  be  taken  from  platforms 
every  day.  No  assistance  can  be  given  in  the  matter 
of  delivery  to  the  library  building  either  by  the  Quarter- 
master or  the  express  companies.  It  has  been  found 
expedient  to  supply  each  camp  library  with  a  low- 
priced  automobile  with  delivery  box  attached. 

Requests  for  additional  aid  in  handling  the  books, 
have  in  some  instances  resulted  in  amusing  misfits. 
One  camp  librarian  aid  had  two  Italians  who  could 
neither  write  nor  speak  English  detailed  to  assist  him, 
—  despite  the  fact  that  there  was  a  trained  Library  of 
Congress  assistant  among  the  drafted  men  in  camp. 
Another  discovered  that  the  sturdy  enlisted  man 
chosen  by  the  Division  Adjutant  to  be  his  library 
assistant  could  neither  read  nor  write.  The  librarian 
at  Camp  Dodge  was  more  fortunate,  for  four  men 
previously  engaged  in  library  work  were  found  there, 
and  were  permitted  to  help  in  the  Camp  Library. 

One  of  the  first  duties  of  the  camp  librarian  is  to 
pay  an  official  visit  to  the  Commanding  officer,  though 
he  does  well  if  he  gets  beyond  the  Chief  of  Staff.  The 
general  must  know  that  the  A.  L.  A.  is  on  the  grounds 
and  at  work.  His  official  sanction  is  required.  One 
camp  librarian  says  that  he  has  learned  from  experi- 
ence the  value  of  the  axiom  current  in  his  camp: 
"Go  to  the  highest  official  possible,  and  to  head- 
quarters for  everything." 


CAMP    LIBRARIES  II 

The  library  buildings  are  situated  near  the  residential 
center  of  the  camps  and  convenient  to  the  trans- 
portation lines.  They  are  plain  wooden  structures, 
conforming  to  the  general  type  adopted  for  the  can- 
tonments, but  admirably  suited  to  their  special  use. 
They  were  designed  by  E.  L.  Tilton,  a  well-known 
library  architect,  who  contributed  his  services.  The 
libraries  are  all  built  after  one  plan,  differing  only 
in  length.  The  original  drawings  called  for  a  building 
i2ox4o  feet,  but  in  some  cases  the  length  was  cut 
down  to  93  feet.  The  interior  is  one  large  room  with 
two  bedrooms  located  at  one  end.  There  are  open 
shelves  accommodating  about  10,000  volumes.  In  some 
of  the  buildings  an  alcove  has  been  assigned  for  the  use 
of  officers.  Tables  and  chairs  for  about  200  readers 
are  provided.  The  aim  is  to  have  the  buildings 
equipped  for  service,  health  and  such  comfort  as  may 
be  justified  by  the  character  and  purpose  of  an  emer- 
gency building  for  war-time  use.  The  librarian  at 
Camp  Sherman  succeeded  in  getting  authorization 
to  build  a  fireplace,  eight  feet  wide,  with  a  four-foot 
opening.  Fireplaces  have  been  built  in  other  camps. 
Touches  of  home  are  at  a  premium  in  a  soldier's  camp. 

The  end  of  December  saw  the  library  buildings  in 
all  the  cantonments  completed  except  one,  which 
was  delayed  by  local  conditions.  The  majority  were 
built  on  a  basis  of  cost  plus  six  per  cent.  The  first 
to  be  opened  was  that  at  Camp  Lewis,  on  November 
28th.  Delay  in  arrival  of  furniture  and  equipment 
postponed  the  opening  of  the  others;  but  in  the 
meantime  the  buildings  were  used  for  the  storage  and 
preparation  of  the  books  for  the  shelves.  They 
were  doing  business  even  without  furniture.  In  some 
cases    makeshift    furniture    was    rented;     in    others, 


12      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

crude  benches  and  tables  were  made  out  of  rough 
lumber. 

At  Camp  Devens  temporary  quarters  were  found 
in  a  mess  hall  formerly  used  by  officers  of  the  Quarter- 
master's Corps,  with  tables  for  about  seventy  readers. 
Books  were  accommodated  on  makeshift  wall  shelving 
under  the  windows  and  in  six-foot  sections  of  shelving 
so  constructed  that  they  could  be  used  elsewhere 
if  needed.  Boxes  turned  on  sides  were  also  used  for 
shelving. 

The  buildings  for  the  National  Guard  Camps  were 
deliberately  deferred  because  of  the  uncertainty  as  to 
how  long  these  tent  camps  would  be  maintained, 
and  because  of  the  likelihood  that  the  already  seasoned 
occupants  would  be  sent  abroad  before  the  buildings 
could  be  made  available  for  them.  Epidemics  were 
a  deterring  factor  in  other  cases. 

In  erecting  these  buildings,  many  obstacles  were  met. 
Wages  and  prices  for  materials  had  risen,  freight 
was  seriously  congested,  and  contractors  were  leaving 
the  camps  with  their  laborers. 

Much  of  the  equipment  in  these  libraries  can  be 
used  after  the  war  in  the  establishment  of  new  public 
libraries. 

READING    SOLDIERS 

Do  the  men  in  the  camps  read?  When  do  they 
find  time  for  it? 

Some  people  have  been  raising  the  first  question, 
and  others  have  been  doubtful  about  the  second  point. 
The  officers  seem  agreed  that  the  men  in  the  new 
American  army  are  very  eager  to  read.  Major-gen- 
eral Glenn,  the  commanding  officer  at  Camp  Sher- 
man, wrote  to   Mr.   W.   H.   Brett,    librarian  of  the 


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CAMP     LIBRARIES  l3 

Cleveland  Public  Library,  asking  him  to  take  steps 
to  correct  the  erroneous  impression  that  had  gone 
abroad  that  the  men  did  not  have  time  for  reading  on 
account  of  the  demands  of  military  training.  He 
wished  to  have  it  known  that  there  is  no  one  thing 
that  will  be  of  greater  value  to  the  men  in  his  can- 
tonment in  producing  contentment  with  their  sur- 
roundings than  properly  selected  reading  matter. 

One  officer  wrote  to  headquarters  that  he  needed 
books  for  his  men  so  badly  that  he  was  quite  willing 
to  pay  for  them  himself.  Another  said  that  if  the 
A.  L.  A.  would  supply  his  regiment  with  books,  he 
would  see  to  it  that  a  room  and  a  competent  man  to 
take  care  of  the  books  would  be  provided.  Even 
before  the  regular  camp  libraries  were  opened  a  hun- 
dred books  placed  in  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  of  an 
evening  would  usually  be  borrowed  before  the  build- 
ing closed  for  the  night. 

A  Pole  at  Camp  Devens  remarked  that  since  they 
could  carry  very  little  with  them,  he  had  left  his  books 
with  his  friends,  but  he  was  taking  with  him  to  the 
front  Plato's  "Republic,"  in  Greek,  Shakespeare's 
"Sonnets,"  in  English,  and  Goethe's  "Poems,"  in 
German. 

That  men  who  have  been  drilling,  marching,  and 
digging  trenches  all  day  are  likely  to  be  too  tired  in 
the  evening  to  wish  to  walk  any  great  distance  for 
books  has  been  recognized  in  efforts  to  bring  the  books 
as  near  to  the  soldiers'  barracks  as  possible.  In  some 
instances  traveling  libraries  have  been  resorted  to 
with  very  great  success. 

In  some  camps,  books  are  sent  to  the  barracks, 
where  they  are  placed  in  the  social  room  under  the 
direction  of  the  "top"  sergeant  upon  the  request  of 


l4      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

the  commanding  officer  of  the  company,  the  captain 
or  the  lieutenant.  The  handling  of  books  so  de- 
posited is  left  to  the  sergeant,  with  no  instructions 
except  a  request  that  he  look  after  the  books  as  care- 
fully as  possible. 

Many  of  the  men  who  are  using  the  camp  libraries 
have  never  before  had  the  privilege  of  access  to  books 
and  know  nothing  of  the  liberality  of  library  service. 
A  mountaineer  from  an  isolated  district  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Kentucky  said,  after  having  been  given 
a  book  at  Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  "How  much  do  I 
owe  you?" 

A  question  constantly  put  to  the  camp  librarians 
is,  "How  much  does  it  cost  to  borrow  books?"  The 
idea  of  free  library  service  is  new  to  many. 

Regimental  libraries  are  found  at  the  headquarters 
of  the  officers  of  a  regiment.  These  are  used  by  from 
75  to  100  officers.  A  lieutenant  is  usually  detailed 
to  look  after  the  library,  which  is  treated  as  a  branch 
of  the  A.  L.  A.  library.  The  books  are  exchanged 
from  time  to  time  as  needed. 

The  expectation  is  that  as  the  men  become  more 
hardened  and  accustomed  to  their  work  and  hours 
they  will  not  tire  so  quickly  and  consequently  will  be 
better  able  to  read  and  study.  As  the  men  will  have 
little  but  the  recreation  halls  to  occupy  their  leisure, 
many  who  are  not  naturally  studious  will  be  glad  to 
turn  to  the  libraries  during  the  stormy  days  and  long 
evenings. 

Into  the  Detroit  Public  Library  there  came  recently 
a  young  man,  dressed  in  khaki  with  his  arm  in  a  sling. 
He  asked  somewhat  timidly  for  a  certain  book  which 
the  assistant  helped  him  to  find.  The  soldier  was  so 
evidently  pleased  at  getting  hold  of  the  desired  book 


CAMP    LIBRARIES  l5 

that  it  led  him  to  be  confidential.  He  said  that  he 
was  on  furlough  from  Camp  Custer  until  his  broken 
arm  healed;  that  he  had  disliked  the  thought  of 
leaving  the  camp  because  he  would  miss  its  library, 
but  had  been  told  that  there  was  a  similar  and 
much  larger  library  in  Detroit  for  the  free  use  of 
the  public. 

An  architect  graduate  of  a  Middle  Western  college 
and  of  Harvard  University  was  at  Camp  Devens, 
homesick.  In  looking  over  the  camp  library  shelves 
he  discovered  Mark  Twain's  "Life  on  the  Mississippi," 
and  he  almost  wept  with  joy  as  he  pointed  out  to  the 
librarian  all  the  places  he  knew  in  his  boyhood.  He 
became  a  constant  visitor  and  his  homesickness 
vanished. 

A  Texan  at  Camp  Devens  who  had  never  been  in 
New  England  before  was  invited  to  Boston  for  dinner, 
and  in  preparation  for  the  event  asked  at  the  library 
for  something  that  would  show  the  special  character 
of  Boston  and  its  people. 

It  became  apparent  quite  early  that  at  least  35o,ooo 
new  books  would  have  to  be  purchased  immediately 
for  the  larger  cantonments.  While  it  was  recognized 
that  many  desirable  books  would  be  presented  and 
that  similar  gifts  would  continue  to  come  in  yet  there 
would  be  innumerable  titles  asked  for  that  could  only 
be  secured  by  purchase.  It  would  be  obviously  im- 
possible to  rely  upon  donations  to  meet  the  specific 
needs  of  officers  in  charge  of  military  instruction  and 
ambitious  soldiers  following  definite  lines  of  study. 
It  would  be  futile  to  hope,  for  instance,  that  the 
special  books  on  wireless  telegraphy  most  in  demand 
would  come  in  by  chance  gifts.  Ample  funds  must 
be  in  hand  so  that  all  needs  could  be  met  as  they 


16      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

became  known.  Textbooks  must  be  supplied  in 
considerable  quantities.  Expensive  up-to-date  ref- 
erence books  must  be  provided  generously.  The 
problem  of  transportation  and  freight  congestion 
must  be  faced.  All  books,  whether  purchased  or 
donated,  must  be  made  ready  for  use.  Volumes 
must  be  replaced  as  they  become  worn  out  or  lost. 

Thanks  to  the  "speeding  up"  of  this  work  by  Dr. 
Putnam,  the  General  Director,  the  first  of  January 
found  3 10,000  books  in  the  larger  training  camps 
and  3/i,ooo  in  the  smaller  posts,  with  about  220,000 
additional  volumes  on  the  way.  Had  it  not  been 
for  transportation  difficulties  all  these  books  would 
have  been  in  place  much  earlier.  By  the  end  of 
March  an  additional  half  million  books  were  shipped. 
The  purchases  have  been  made  cautiously,  and  thus 
far  are  almost  entirely  serious  books  on  technology,  the 
mechanic  arts,  military  science,  history  and  travel. 

Credit  is  due  many  publishing  houses  for  their 
generous  cooperation.  Discounts  of  from  forty-five 
to  fifty  per  cent  from  publication  prices  were  by  no 
means  uncommon.  Some  university  presses  and  cor- 
respondence schools  offered  to  donate  such  of  their 
publications  as  could  be  used. 

The  books  have  not  been  chosen  by  librarians 
closeted  in  their  offices.  The  fist  ordered  from  head- 
quarters is  the  result  of  consultation  with  numerous 
experts  in  the  different  fields  of  the  service.  Many 
titles  have  been  requisitioned  by  officers,  educational 
secretaries,  and  men  in  the  camps  who  have  felt  the 
need  for  a  specific  book. 

"We  are  having  repeated  calls  for  technical  hand- 
books and  textbooks,"  writes  a  librarian  from  Camp 
Meade.      'We  want  all  kinds  of  engineering  hand- 


CAMP     LIBRARIES  17 

books,  mechanic's  handbooks,  books  on  sanitary  en- 
gineering, and  books  on  all  branches  of  the  service. 
They  cannot  be  too  technical  to  suit  the  men.  You 
will  be  interested  to  know  how  quickly  the  newly 
purchased  books  are  snapped  up.  Of  the  six  copies 
of  Thompson's  Electricity,  four  are  now  out  and  were 
out  within  a  week  after  they  were  ready." 


MAGAZINES    AND   NEWSPAPERS 

A  new  postal  regulation  permits  the  public  to  send 
current  magazines  through  the  mail  to  the  camps  by 
affixing  a  one-cent  stamp  to  the  outside  cover.  Neither 
address  nor  wrapper  is  needed.  The  result  has  been 
a  vast  influx  of  periodicals  of  varying  degrees  of  suit- 
ability for  this  purpose.  Some  well-intentioned  people 
seem  to  have  no  idea  as  to  the  subjects  in  which  the 
men  are  interested.  Others  fail  to  distinguish  between 
the  literary  tastes  of  men  and  women. 

The  librarian  at  Camp  Funston  reports  that  the 
number  of  sacks  of  magazines  of  all  ages  and  conditions 
received  through  the  postal  authorities  has  grown  from 
about  20  per  week  in  the  beginning  of  October  to  five 
times  the  number,  —  more  than  they  can  use  to  ad- 
vantage. The  librarian  at  Camp  Beauregard  has 
had  the  same  experience,  adding  that  he  had  been 
receiving  mostly  such  as  were  undeliverable  to  the 
addressees,  though  some  were  specifically  for  the  camp. 
"It  is  not  a  choice  lot,"  says  he,  "and  latest  numbers 
are  few  and  far  between.  Very  few  are  the  more 
expensive  monthlies."  This  camp  librarian  says  he 
has  more  than  enough  of  back  numbers,  excepting 
the  best  popular  magazines.  What  he  needs  is  from 
ten  to  twenty  subscriptions  to  a  dozen  different  maga- 


18      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

zines,  so  that  they  can  be  sure  to  receive  the  numbers 
regularly.     There   seems  to  have   been   a  deluge  of 

Socks  and  sardines 
And  old  magazines 

over  all  our  camps,  which  brings  to  mind  the  remark 
of  one  of  the  soldiers  in  the  trenches:  "We  are  up  to 
the  knees  in  mud  and  mufflers."  Magazines  might 
now  be  added.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  smaller 
posts  lack  a  sufficient  supply,  but  arrangements  are 
being  made  to  meet  this  need. 

Yet  the  oversupply  can  be  used  to  advantage  at 
times.  When  Camp  Bowie  was  quarantined  for  three 
weeks  before  Christmas,  there  were  as  many  as  1,700 
patients  in  the  base  hospital  at  one  time.  The  soldiers 
were  not  allowed  to  use  library  books  during  this 
period  and  the  great  store  of  back  magazines  which  had 
previously  seemed  almost  a  nightmare  to  the  camp 
librarian,  came  into  an  unexpected  usefulness.  All 
available  copies,  except  those  reserved  for  reference, 
were  used  up,  even  down  to  the  latest  Saturday 
Evening  Post. 

One  camp  librarian,  deluged  with  tons  of  magazines, 
sent  quantities  of  them,  without  sorting,  to  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  and  K.  of  C.  buildings,  to  barracks,  to  officers' 
clubs  and  base  hospitals  —  hoping  to  give  the  men  a 
variety  of  reading.  He  endeavored  to  sort  by  titles 
and  then  group  chronologically,  but  gave  it  up  in 
despair.  The  demand  is  rather  for  the  current  month 
or  the  weekly  issue,  or  simply  for  a  "bunch  of  maga- 
zines." Neither  of  these  calls  is  served  the  better  by 
elaborate  sorting.  One  group  of  readers  will  ask  for 
magazines  of  a  general  nature  —  because  they  are 
quickly  glanced  through    and  thrown   aside  —  while 


CAMP     LIBRARIES 


19 


another  will  ask  for  books  —  frequently  definite  titles 
—  the  reading  of  which  takes  considerable  time. 

One  of  the  most  welcome  gifts  received  at  Camp 
Devens  was  contributed  by  the  Wellesley  College 
Undergraduate  Periodical  League.  It  consisted  of 
subscriptions  for  twelve  copies  of  six  monthly  maga- 
zines and  six  weeklies.  These  are  distributed  be- 
tween the  main  library,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  huts  and  the 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  hostess  house. 

The  librarian  at  Camp  Lee  reports  that  some  days 
they  get  as  many  as  twenty  sacks  of  "Burleson  mail," 
each  sack  weighing  over  one  hundred  pounds.  An  at- 
tempt is  made  to  get  it  to  the  men  for  whom  it  is 
intended,  but  there  are  altogether  too  many  copies 
of  the  popular  weeklies  to  be  handled  properly.  The 
numbers  are  also  out  of  date  when  they  reach  the 
camp  library,  and  soldiers  in  the  camp  have  no  more 
use  for  a  copy  of  a  paper  which  they  have  already 
seen  than  they  would  have  in  civil  life.  It  was  found 
that  in  one  of  the  barracks,  thirty  men  of  the  company 
were  subscribers  to  one  of  the  most  widely  circulated 
weeklies;  as  many  more  of  the  same  company  received 
this  same  magazine,  directly  and  quite  promptly, 
from  their  families.  Naturally  many  of  the  copies 
thus  received  were  passed  around  and  probably  read 
by  three  or  four  readers.  As  a  result  month-old 
copies  of  that  particular  weekly  would  not  be  in  demand 
at  that  particular  company  house.  The  magazines 
are  on  sale  at  the  post  exchanges  and  most  of  the  men 
who  buy  and  read  them  in  civil  life  continue  to  buy 
them  in  camp  as  current  numbers  on  the  news  stands. 

The  United  States  Post  Office  Department  has 
recently  called  attention  to  this  matter  through  a  note 
in  the  Postal  Guide  and  the  papers   throughout  the 


20      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND     ALLIED    STUDIES 

country.  It  was  stated  that  many  unwrapped,  unad- 
dressed  magazines  mailed  by  the  public  at  the  one- 
cent  postage  rate  for  the  soldiers  and  sailors  are  useless 
for  the  purpose  intended,  because  some  are  so  old  that 
they  are  of  no  interest,  some  are  torn  and  soiled  and 
unfit  for  further  use,  while  others  are  of  a  character 
wholly  unsuited  for  reading  by  soldiers  and  sailors. 

The  note  further  stated  that  magazines  mailed 
under  the  ruling  in  question  should  consist  of  clean 
copies  of  current  or  at  least  recent  issues  of  magazines 
devoted  to  literature  or  containing  matter  of  general 
interest,  and  that  as  the  magazines  are  distributed  in 
a  very  general  manner,  it  is  not  practicable  to  place 
those  devoted  to  special  subjects  or  those  which  are 
merely  of  local  interest  in  the  hands  of  any  particular 
soldier  or  sailor  or  groups. 

Magazines  in  French  are  in  constant  demand  by  the 
men  who  are  studying  the  language.  Subscriptions 
have  been  placed  for  the  Courier  des  Etats  Unis  to  be 
sent  to  all  camp  libraries. 

Early  last  fall  the  librarian  at  Camp  Sherman  wrote 
to  the  editor  of  every  paper  published  in  Ohio  and 
western  Pennsylvania  asking  that  five  complimentary 
copies  of  each  issue  be  sent  for  the  use  of  the  men  at 
that  camp.  There  was  a  hearty  response  and  for  over 
three  months  three  hundred  dailies  and  as  many 
semi-weeklies  have  been  received  at  the  camp.  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  what  this  meant  to  the  men. 
We  all  know  that  what  the  soldier  wants  above  every- 
thing else  is  news  from  home.  It's  the  same  with 
books:  the  boys  like  best  those  that  recall  home  scenes. 
The  Indiana  men  give  a  hearty  welcome  to  James 
Whitcomb  Riley's  poems,  and  to  Booth  Tarkington's 
"Gentleman    from    Indiana."    The    Kentucky    boys 


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CAMP     LIBRARIES  21 

ask  for  John  Fox,  Jr.'s  "Little  Shepherd  of  Kingdom 
Come,"  "  Trail  of  the  Lonesome  Pine,"  and  "  Christmas 
Eve  on  Lonesome." 

POPULAR    READING 

At  Camp  Beauregard  the  writers  that  seem  to  be  the 
most  popular  are  0.  Henry,  Harold  Bell  Wright,  G.  B. 
McCutcheon,  Jack  London,  Chambers,  Conan  Doyle, 
Mark  Twain,  E.  P.  Oppenheim,  Kipling,  Poe,  Booth 
Tarkington,  Rider  Haggard,  Dumas,  and  H.  G.  Wells. 
This  is  probably  a  typical  list  of  authors  who  are  favor- 
ites in  the  camps. 

At  Camp  Zachary  Taylor  a  soldier  came  in  to  renew 
Mrs.  Barclay's  "Rosary,"  remarking  that  it  was  the 
finest  book  he  had  ever  read,  but  that  he  couldn't 
get  through  with  it  in  fourteen  days  to  save  his  life. 
The  book  was  renewed  and  his  chums,  who  also  wanted 
it,  had  to  wait  their  turn. 

Some  of  the  enlisted  men,  on  the  other  hand,  show 
a  remarkable  capacity  for  rapid  reading.  There  are 
those  who  come  in  practically  every  day  for  a  fresh 
book.  One  patron  took  out  and  read  regularly  three 
books  a  day,  until  a  soldier  in  another  company  began 
to  do  the  same.  The  first  man  then  dropped  down  to 
two  books  a  day,  feeling  that  the  effort  to  maintain  his 
supremacy  among  camp  book-worms  was  too  great 
a  tax  upon  his  endurance.  At  Camp  Gordon  one 
copy  of  Ralph  Connor's  "The  Doctor"  circulated  forty- 
eight  times  in  one  month. 

There  is  an  amusing  rivalry  between  the  different 
units  as  to  which  is  the  best  educated.  Some  of  the 
men  try  to  display  their  erudition  in  the  library.  Said 
a  soldier  to  a  camp  librarian:  "A  fellow  told  me  about 
a  book   to  read  by  Porter,  called  '  The  Thresher.' 


22      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Gene  Stratton  Porter's  "The  Harvester"  was  given 
him  and  found  to  be  what  he  was  in  search  of. 

There  is,  as  might  be  expected,  a  loud  call  for  detec- 
tive stories  and  tales  of  adventure.  The  men  want 
books  of  that  sort  which  they  have  read  before.  They 
find  relaxation  in  going  back  over  the  books  of  Conan 
Doyle,  Stevenson,  and  Weyman.  Time  being  at  a 
premium,  some  don't  care  to  risk  new  things  that  they 
are  not  sure  of,  but  prefer  to  go  back  to  the  old  authors 
with  whom  they  are  familiar. 

Books  describing  the  war  are  naturally  in  great 
demand.  So,  too,  are  books  on  vocational  training, 
and  technical  treatises  on  military  science,  telegraphy, 
gasoline  engines,  signaling,  transportation,  and  other 
subjects  which  are  eagerly  studied  by  the  ambitious 
officers. 

Surprises  are  sometimes  in  store  for  the  librarian 
who  thinks  that  the  men  care  only  for  fiction.  A 
librarian  starting  in  at  a  new  post  expected  that  the 
first  call  would  be  for  some  book  by  G.  B.  McCutcheon 
or  Jack  London.  He  was  somewhat  taken  aback  when 
the  first  patron  asked  for  Shakespeare's  "Pericles." 

A  private  asked  for  a  late  book  on  electric  motors 
and  was  shown  what  the  camp  librarian  considered 
his  best  book  on  the  subject.  "  Oh,  I  did  the  drawings 
for  that  book,"  said  he.  "I  want  something  better 
than  that!" 

TYPES    OF    SERVICE 

Evidences  of  the  appreciation  of  the  efforts  of  the 
camp  librarian  are  beginning  to  come  in  from  many 
sides.  When  a  machine  gun  company  went  into 
quarantine  on  account  of  measles,  the  major  was 
pleased  to  have  a  hundred  books  and  a  lot  of  maga- 


CAMP     LIBRARIES  23 

zines  sent  over  to  him.  The  camp  librarian  was  aware 
of  the  fact  that  the  medical  officer  might  not  permit 
the  return  of  this  material,  but  he  was  willing  to  stand 
the  loss. 

A  soldier  detailed  to  call  for  a  box  of  books  at  a 
public  library,  said:  "Gee,  Lady,  you  mean  to  give 
us  all  those  books!  Say,  you  people  know  what  to  do 
for  a  soldier!  Some  people  just  talk  an'  talk  about 
entertainin'  soldiers,  but  say,  you  just  hit  the  nail 
right  on  the  head  —  without  sayin'  a  word,  too!" 

The  librarian  at  Camp  Upton  reports  that  officers 
have  come  to  the  library  for  help  in  the  technical 
aspects  of  their  particular  branch  of  the  service  and 
have  expressed  appreciation  of  the  value  of  good 
propaganda  material  in  building  up  the  morale  of 
the  men. 

A  man  at  Camp  Devens  said  that  what  he  wanted 
was  a  place  where  he  could  sit  down  in  peace  and 
quiet,  with  a  book  or  two  and  a  chance  to  read  and 
dream.  "Your  alcoves  are  godsends,"  said  he  to  the 
librarian.  "The  barrack's  social  room  in  which  75 
to  125  men  are  talking  and  playing  cards,  where  a 
piano  and  phonograph  are  rivaling  one  another,  and 
where  at  any  moment  a  basketball  may  knock  your 
head  sideways,  is  certainly  no  decent  place  to  read, 
let  alone  trying  to  do  any  studying." 

The  librarian  at  Camp  Logan,  Texas,  writes  that 
there  is  immediate  need  for  books  of  live  present-day 
interest,  bearing  on  all  phases;  books  of  travel  and 
histories  of  France,  England,  and  the  United  States; 
mathematics  (arithmetic,  geometry);  French  conver- 
sation; automobiles;  army  engineering;  manuals  of 
army  organization;  the  poetry  of  Service,  Noyes, 
Masefield,    Whittier,    Longfellow,   collections   of  war 


24      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

poetry;  and  inspirational  books  on  modern,  social, 
and  religious  questions.  He  adds  that  he  would  be 
glad  to  receive  a  consignment  of  books  of  this  character, 
with  titles  duplicated  from  five  to  fifteen  times.  He 
is  of  the  opinion  that  there  should  also  be  eight  or  ten 
good  war  atlases. 

From  other  sources  comes  the  word  that  maps  are 
studied  and  handled  until  they  are  in  shreds.  A 
group  of  a  dozen  men  is  frequently  seen  around  one 
map.  The  men  not  only  want  maps  of  their  home 
district,  but  of  the  place  where  they  are  and  the  places 
where  they  have  reason  to  believe  they  are  going,  in- 
cluding the  maps  of  the  scene  of  conflict.  Good  atlases 
and  wall  maps  have  now  been  supplied  to  all  the  camp 
libraries.  The  post  route  maps  of  the  various  States 
in  which  the  different  camps  are  located,  and  the 
topographic  survey  maps  of  the  immediate  vicinity 
are  very  helpful  and  popular  with  the  men. 

Another  camp  librarian  writes  that  French  manuals, 
military  manuals  not  published  by  the  Government, 
aviation,  physical  training,  sanitation,  book-keeping, 
simple  textbooks  of  English,  histories,  and  books  about 
the  stars  are  much  needed,  while  from  another  camp 
comes  the  request  for  French  magazines  and  French 
songs.  A  special  interest  is  manifested  in  books  of 
travel  and  description  about  France.  The  men  want 
to  know  about  the  customs  of  the  country  they  expect 
to  visit,  the  kind  of  money  used  and  the  mode  of 
life. 

The  first  requisition  slips  for  books  filled  out  at  Camp 
Sherman  were  for  books  on  the  valuation  of  public 
utilities,  two  Dutch  books  wanted  by  a  Hollander, 
books  on  the  conservation  of  national  resources,  and 
a  Roumanian-English  dictionary.     The  librarian  was 


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CAMP     LIBRARIES  25 

able  to  supply  all  but  the  last,  and  this  has  now  been 
ordered  by  headquarters. 

A  stableman  in  the  Field  Hospital  Train  visited  the 
library  at  Camp  Devens,  with  some  fellow  muleteers, 
and  discovered  a  set  of  Brady's  "Photographs  of  the 
Civil  War."  This  became  the  subject  of  animated 
discussion.  The  men  had  seen  sets  at  home  and  were 
eager  to  show  one  another  pictures  which  had  pre- 
viously interested  them. 

A  private  in  the  Engineers'  Corps  at  Camp  Devens 
asked  for  books  which  would  explain  the  psychology 
of  camouflage.  He  was  something  of  an  artist  and  had 
been  successful  with  color  photography.  He  wanted 
to  know,  for  example,  why  the  eye  fails  to  recognize 
a  shadow  when  light  patches  have  been  painted  where 
the  shadow  would  naturally  fall.  Material  was  found 
for  him  and  he  succeeded  in  hiding  guns  so  well  with 
paint  that  he  deceived  his  own  captain. 

At  the  Great  Lakes  Naval  Training  Station  the  men 
are  pursuing  systematic  studies  and  are  in  need  of 
special  books  in  mathematics,  engineering,  history,  and 
the  languages.  One  librarian  reports  that  90  per  cent 
of  his  circulation  is  non-fiction,  mostly  technical  books 
in  French,  historical  works,  and  "war  stuff." 

"When  I  started  this  work,"  writes  Mr.  Burton  E. 
Stevenson,  for  some  time  librarian  at  Camp  Sherman, 
"I  had  some  very  plausible  theories  about  the  kinds 
of  books  the  men  would  want;  but  I  soon  discarded 
them.  We  have  had  requests  here  for  every  sort  of 
book,  from  some  books  by  Gene  Stratton  Porter  to 
Boswell's  'Life  of  Johnson'  and  Bergson's  'Creative 
Evolution.'  We  have  had  requests  for  Ibsen's  plays; 
for  books  on  sewage  disposal;  and  so  many  requests 
for  'A  Message  to  Garcia'  that  I  had  a  supply  mime- 


26      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

ographed.  In  one  building  there  were  so  many  re- 
quests for  books  on  religion  and  ethics  that  we  set  up 
a  small  reference  collection.  Broadly  speaking,  of 
course,  most  of  the  men  read  fiction;  exciting,  red- 
blooded  fiction,  —  detective  stories,  adventure  stories, 
and  so  on.  But  there  is  also  a  steady  demand  for 
Conrad,  and  Wells,  and  Hardy,  and  Meredith.  Poetry 
is  also  in  demand,  and  good  books  of  travel  go  well. 
The  only  kind  of  books  we  don't  want  is  the  salacious, 
risque  sort  —  for  they  have  no  place  in  our  camp 
libraries.  And  we  don't  care  for  unattractive,  cheap 
editions,  with  yellow,  muddy  paper  and  flimsy  bind- 
ing. We  want  attractive  books  —  nice,  clean  copies 
of  good  editions  —  and  the  more  of  these  we  get  the 
better  service  we  can  give  the  men." 

GIFTS 

One  camp  librarian  reports  a  steady  stream  of  gifts, 
which  keeps  pace  fairly  well  with  the  demands  for 
new  branches  and  of  the  replenishing  of  the  shelves 
of  branches  already  open.  The  quality  continues 
good,  he  says,  and  he  has  been  able  to  lay  aside  the 
nucleus  for  a  reference  collection  and  a  section  of  spe- 
cially readable  books.  Nine  sets  of  early  editions 
of  a  good  encyclopedia  were  donated. 

Many  authors  have  presented  several  hundred 
copies  of  their  own  works,  —  one  example  being  Dr. 
Hornaday's  "  The  Man  who  became  a  Savage."  Mr. 
Julius  Bosenwald  of  Chicago  has  given  copies  of  the 
"Life  of  Booker  T.  Washington"  by  Emmet  J.  Scott 
and  Lyman  Beecher  Stowe  to  the  libraries  of  all  the 
cantonments  in  the  United  States  where  negro  soldiers 
are  stationed. 

To  Camp  Upton  the  Lotus  Club  presented  a  choice 


CAMP    LIBRARIES 


27 


selection  from  their  shelves  for  an  officers'  library. 

"Many  clean,  second-hand  books  can  be  used, 
but  let  us  not  insult  our  devoted  brothers  by  offering 
them  what  no  one  else  can  use,"  wrote  Mr.  W.  E. 
Henry.  '  They  wear  the  best  of  wool  clothing,  much 
of  which  will  be  blood  stained.  They  wear  the  best 
of  leather  shoes,  many  of  which  will  be  worn  out,  but 
they  will  have  done  their  service.  Give  the  soldier 
good  clean  books  and  late  magazines  whatever  may 
ultimately  be  the  fate  of  this  material." 

In  March,  19 18,  a  national  campaign  for  books 
was  conducted  and  brought  in  three  and  a  half  million 
volumes,  the  great  majority  of  which  were  well  suited 
for  Library  War  Service. 

That  the  gift-horse  must  be  inspected  is  being 
demonstrated  anew  in  various  centers.  From  the 
reading-room  of  a  church  in  a  town  that  we  shall  not 
name  came  copies  of  Snappy  Stories.  To  the  assistant 
in  charge  of  the  sorting  station  in  the  New  York  Public 
Library  it  seemed  as  if  at  least  one  copy  of  every  im- 
proper book  that  was  ever  written  was  sent  in  for  the 
soldiers  and  sailors.  At  the  other  end  of  the  long 
range  of  rejected  offers  was  that  of  a  shelf ful  of  Elsie 
books,  with  scattering  volumes  of  Alger's  juvenile 
stories.  An  offer  of  a  file  of  the  Undertaker  s  Review 
was  graciously  declined  at  headquarters. 

Unusable  were  some  school  readers  antedating 
the  Civil  War,  out-of-date  textbooks  and  much 
soiled  editions  of  the  classical  authors  given  by  people 
who  wished  to  clear  their  shelves  and  had  no  idea 
of  what  our  soldiers  are  like.  A  well-meaning  but 
misguided  woman  beamed  with  a  sense  of  duty  done 
when  she  said  that  her  grandfather,  who  was  a  min- 
ister,  had  had  his   sermons   published, —  "well,  not 


28      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

exactly  published,  but  privately  printed.  I  have 
several  hundred  copies  left  and  while  I  dislike  parting 
with  them,  I  may  as  well  send  them  to  the  Camp 
Libraries.  And  there  are  some  more  books  which 
have  been  in  the  house  for  ages,  that  I  don't  know 
what  to  do  with.     I'm  going  to  send  those,  too." 

Among  other  rejected  addresses  are:  Paley's  "  Moral 
Philosophy,"  with  the  not  much  more  modern  manual 
on  the  same  subject  by  Andrew  P.  Peabody;  Sunday- 
school  books  of  fifty  years  ago;  annual  reports  of 
the  Bureau  of  Ethnology;  proceedings  of  the  Amer- 
ican Breeders'  Association;  odd  volumes  of  the  i&45 
edition  of  the  "Encyclopedia  Americana";  a  broken 
file  of  a  German  periodical  devoted  to  natural  history, 
dating  from  i860;  the  Postal  and  Telegraphic  Code 
of  the  Argentine  Republic;  annual  reports  of  the 
Episcopal  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  twenty  years  old; 
odd  volumes  of  the  official  Records  of  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion;  and  volume  7  of  the  collected  works 
of  Sir  Humphry  Davy.  Special  mention  should  be 
made  of  Ruskin's  "  Letters  to  Young  Girls,"  and  Miss 
Leslie's  "American  Girl's  Book,  or  Occupations  for 
Play  Hours"  (1866),  "The  Lady's  Friend"  (i864),  and 
copies  of  the  Housewife  and  Home  Needlework.  The 
prize  gift,  however,  was  a  Diary  for  19 16,  partly  filled 
in  by  the  donor. 

Attempts  have  been  made  to  use  the  camp  libraries 
for  German  propagandist  publications.  "The  Vam- 
pire of  the  Continent"  and  other  pro-German  works 
have  had  to  be  refused. 

APPRECIATIONS 

The  new  men  being  drafted  into  the  Army  will  find 
a  very  different  kind  of  training  camp  from  that  to 


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CAMP     LIBRARIES 


29 


which  the  men  went  last  fall.  The  Liberty  Theaters, 
the  Camp  Libraries,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Knights  of 
Columbus,  and  other  welfare  centers,  will  strike  the 
newcomers  as  unexpected  touches  from  home.  The 
libraries  are  meeting  a  greater  variety  of  needs  and 
filling  even  a  greater  role  than  their  promoters  had 
dared  hope  for  them.  When  it  was  first  proposed 
to  provide  the  soldiers  and  sailors  with  reading  in  an 
organized  way,  there  were  those  who  were  sure  that 
the  wants  of  the  men  would  be  amply  met  by  a  fair 
selection  of  magazines  and  fiction. 

Mr.  Frank  A.  Vanderlip,  President  of  the  National 
City  Bank,  was  Chairman  of  the  Library  War  Council. 
In  the  summer  of  191 7,  when  interviewed  as  to  the 
class  of  books  to  be  provided  for  the  camp  libraries, 
he  said:  "These  young  men  are  not  starting  out  on 
a  junket.  It  is  going  to  be  serious  business,  and  when 
they  go  out  to  fight,  many  of  them  to  lay  down  their 
lives  for  democracy,  they  should  go  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  American  ideals.  The  men  are  all  young, 
many  of  them  in  the  early  twenties.  They  have  ar- 
rived at  that  period  of  life  when  the  mind  is  the  most 
impressionable.  This  condition  is  further  emphasized 
by  the  circumstances  which  throw  many  of  them 
suddenly  into  wider  association  with  their  fellow-men. 
The  things  that  are  put  into  their  minds  now  will  stick 
there.  It  seems  to  me  that  now  is  the  time  to  give 
the  best  there  is  in  literature.  It  is  not  the  time  to 
give  them  frivolous  stuff.  I  shouldn't  give  them  just 
anything  they  want  to  read.  The  material  should  be 
selected  for  them  with  the  greatest  care.  It  is  doubt- 
less true  they  will  become  very  hungry  for  something 
to  read,  and  for  that  very  reason  they  should  receive 
only  the  most  wholesome  literature." 


3o      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Former-President  Taft,  who  was  the  principal 
speaker  at  the  dedication  of  the  Camp  Library  at 
Camp  Lee,  said  that  when  the  campaign  was  started 
last  fall  to  raise  a  million  dollars  for  War  Service  li- 
braries, he  questioned  the  wisdom  of  going  into  the 
project  on  so  extensive  a  scale.  But  after  learning 
what  had  been  accomplished  and  seeing  how  welcome 
the  books  were  to  the  boys,  and  having  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  studying  the  type  of  building  provided  for 
the  camp  library,  Mr.  Taft  became  fully  convinced 
that  the  work  was  very  desirable  and  quite  worth 
while.  He  was  particularly  gratified  to  learn  that 
the  books  were  following  the  boys  to  France,  for  there 
the  appreciation  of  a  good  book  would  be  even  keener 
than  in  an  American  training  camp. 

Major-general  Glenn,  in  accepting  the  library 
building  at  Camp  Sherman  on  behalf  of  the  Eighty- 
third  Division,  spoke  with  great  warmth  of  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  camp  library  service  and  said  that  its 
work  was  of  the  very  first  importance.  He  dwelt 
on  the  lesson  to  be  learned  from  a  book  he  was  then 
reading,  Dawson's  "Carry  On,"  and  showed  how  the 
spirit  of  optimism,  the  ability  to  smile  and  make  the 
best  of  things,  could  survive  and  overcome  every 
trial.  Such  a  spirit  could  be  cultivated  best  from  books, 
from  the  great  minds  of  all  ages,  for  the  supreme 
quality  of  every  great  mind  was  to  rise  superior  to 
circumstances.  "This  is  not  a  charity,"  said  Major- 
general  Glenn.  "  Our  soldiers  give  up  excellent  libraries 
at  home  and  should,  if  possible,  have  them  available 
during  their  spare  hours  while  serving  in  the  ranks 
as  soldiers.  All  forms  of  healthy  mental  and  physical 
entertainment  of  enlisted  men  are  desirable,  but  none 
more  so  than  fine,  suitable  reading  matter." 


CAMP     LIBRARIES  3l 

"The  Civil  War  was  fought  with  the  old-time  in- 
struments, by  the  old-time  methods,"  said  Dr.  Put- 
nam, in  a  recent  address.  "This  war  has  introduced 
novel  instruments  and  quite  novel  methods.  It  is, 
in  fact,  a  war  of  mechanism  and  of  exact  science;  the 
mechanism  is  intricate  and  the  science  extends  not 
merely  to  the  ordnance  but  to  every  factor  of  organiza- 
tion, transportation,  sanitation,  equipment,  supply." 

The  American  Library  Association  works  in  close 
connection  with  kindred  organizations.  It  was  origi- 
nally proposed  that  the  book  service  should  be  largely 
through  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
and  other  agencies.  Until  the  A.  L.  A.  building  be- 
came available  many  books  were  distributed  in  mess 
halls,  and  among  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  huts,  field  hospitals, 
and  clubs  of  the  Commission  on  Training  Camp 
Activities.  These  books  form  part  of  the  collection  for 
which  the  A.  L.  A.  is  responsible  and  for  the  supply 
of  which  it  should  have  credit.  Despite  the  fact  that 
the  book-plates  show  the  source,  their  service  is  popu- 
larly credited  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  —  a  natural  result  of 
the  cooperation. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings  (of  which  there  are  from 
six  to  ten  in  each  camp)  and  Knights  of  Columbus 
buildings  are  now  being  utilized  as  branch  libraries  or 
distributing  stations.  AY.  M.  C.  A.  building  is  pro- 
vided for  each  brigade,  a  unit  of  six  or  seven  thousand 
men,  and  this  use  of  their  buildings  by  the  library 
shortens  the  distance  between  the  book  and  the  pro- 
spective reader.  It  helps  to  get  hold  of  many  men 
who  are  not  in  the  habit  of  reading. 

In  each  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hut  there  is  provision  for  shelving 
from  35o  to  5oo  or  600  volumes  and  also  some  read- 
ing-room space.     "Quiet  rooms"   are  provided,  and 


32      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

also  two  large  class  rooms  that  can  be  converted  into 
four  smaller  rooms  and  made  available  for  the  use  of 
soldiers  for  reading  and  study.  To  each  building  are 
attached  four  or  five  secretaries,  one  of  whom  has 
special  charge  of  the  educational  work,  including  the 
supervision  of  the  library,  for  which  men  in  the  camp, 
familiar  with  library  work,  are  sometimes  found. 

When  a  quarantine  was  declared  at  Camp  Beau- 
regard and  the  Camp  Library  had  to  cease  its  activities 
and  the  circulation  of  books  was  temporarily  stopped, 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  distributed  many  thousands  of  camp 
library  magazines  among  the  infected  troops. 

The  camp  libraries  have  been  called  upon  to  fur- 
nish books  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus  buildings, 
and  to  the  various  army  chaplains,  one  of  whom 
planned  to  have  a  reading  tent.  Other  chaplains 
expect  to  have  shelves  in  the  officers'  mess  hall. 

While  the  Red  Cross  distributed  some  books  with  the 
soldiers'  kits,  it  does  not  maintain  libraries  or  lending 
collections.  Such  library  service  as  it  does  in  Great 
Britain  is  limited  to  the  men  in  the  military  hospitals. 

The  Chairman  of  the  War  and  Navy  Departments' 
Commissions  on  Training  Camp  Activities  expressed 
in  the  following  letter  to  the  General  Director  of  the 
A.  L.  A.  War  Service  the  appreciation  of  what  had 
been  accomplished  up  to  midsummer  of  19 18: 

My  Dear  Dr.  Putnam: 

Just  back  from  France,  I  want  to  express  my  keen 
appreciation  of  what  the  American  Library  Association 
is  doing  for  our  troops  abroad.  I  found  your  books 
everywhere,  from  the  seaport  bases  to  the  front  line 
trenches.  I  found  them  in  dugouts  thirty  to  forty 
feet  below  ground,  in  cow  barns  where  the  shrapnel 


CAMP    LIBRARIES  33 

had  blown  parts  of  the  roof  away,  as  well  as  in  the 
substantial  huts  and  tents  far  back  from  the  firing 
line.  I  found  them  also  in  hospitals  and  dressing 
stations;  in  scattered  villages  in  the  training  area 
where  our  men  are  billeted  and  even  in  remote  parts 
of  France  where  our  forestry  units  are  carrying  on 
their  lonely  but  essential  work. 

And  they  were  well  worn  books  that  I  saw,  showing 
signs  of  constant  usage.  Indeed,  the  books  are  in 
continual  demand  and  I  am  sure  that  it  will  be  a 
reading  army  that  we  shall  welcome  home  from  France 
when  the  war  is  done. 

As  you  know,  your  organization  overseas  is  working 
in  close  cooperation  with  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Salvation 
Army,  and  its  services  are  recognized  and  appreciated 
by  the  entire  Expeditionary  Forces  from  General 
Pershing  to  the  lowest  private. 

Cordially  yours, 

Raymond  B.  Fosdick, 

Chairman 

To  help  win  the  war,  and  to  help  in  the  great  work 
of  reconstruction  after  the  war,  are  the  two  great 
objects  of  all  these  affiliated  organizations.  The 
camp  libraries  contribute  their  share  to  both  these 
ends.  They  help  to  keep  the  man  more  fit  physically, 
mentally  and  spiritually,  and  prepare  such  as  shall 
be  spared  for  greater  usefulness  after  the  war.  Good 
reading  has  helped  to  keep  many  a  soldier  up  to  his 
highest  level;  it  has  aided  in  the  recovery  of  many 
a  wounded  man.  It  has  helped  to  keep  him  cheerful, 
and  to  send  him  back  to  the  firing  line  with  renewed 
determination  to  win  or  die  bravely  in  the  attempt. 


34      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 
2.    EDUCATIONAL   OPPORTUNITIES 

"  The  war  has  brought  clearly  to  view  the  fact  that 
national  unity  is  endangered,  not  only  by  illiteracy, 
which  fact  has  long  been  recognized,  but  by  diversity 
of  language,  with  its  resulting  lack  of  complete  under- 
standing and  cooperation,"  said  Dr.  Nicholas  Murray 
Butler  recently.      'To  protect  the  national  unity  and 
security  no  American  community  should  be  permitted 
to  substitute  any  other  language  for  English  as  the 
basis   or  instrument  of  common    school    education." 
The  National  Committee  of  One  Hundred  appointed, 
upon  request,  by  the  United  States  Commissioner  of 
Education,  has  worked  out  a  program  for  strengthening 
the   public  system  of  education.     Efforts   are  being 
made  to  teach  the  English  language  and  patriotism  to 
the  three  million  alien  males  of  military  age  in  the 
United  States.    Among  the  means  employed   are   a 
common  use  of  the  language  of  the  United  States  and 
the  development  of  a   common    understanding    and 
appreciation  of  American  standards,   ideals,   and  re- 
sponsibilities of  citizenship.     "Our    un- Americanized 
aliens,"  said  Mr.  H.  H.  Wheaton,   chairman  of  the 
committee,  "are  the  greatest  weakness  in  our  chain, 
and  this  weakness  has  been  analyzed  in  Europe  and 
used  against  us." 

This  touches  on  an  important  phase  of  the  work 
of  the  libraries  and  suggests  some  of  the  great  oppor- 
tunities opening  up  to  them.  Many  men  who  lack 
all  formal  education  will  now  come  in  contact  with 
books  for  the  first  time.  They  will  have  to  be  taught 
how  to  use  them.  Others  will  need  directing  in  the 
choice  of  books.  All  will  need  the  intelligent  and 
sympathetic    assistance    of    trained    library    workers 


EDUCATIONAL    OPPORTUNITIES         35 

interested  in  the  men,  in  their  intellectual  progress,  and 
in  their  every-day  problems.  Not  only  the  trained 
assistants  but  the  soldiers  themselves  help  in  this  work. 
A  man  at  Camp  Devens,  a  musician,  has  developed 
both  music  and  reading  among  his  associates.  He 
knows  that  he  is  doing  good  missionary  work  even  if 
he  does  not  call  it  such,  for  he  says:  "Anyhow,  men 
stay  at  the  barracks  and  read  evenings,  instead  of 
going  to  Lowell  and  coming  back  drunk." 

There  are  in  the  cantonments  many  foreign-speaking 
men  who  must  learn  how  to  understand,  read,  and 
give  orders  in  English.  At  Camp  Sevier,  to  take 
merely  one  illustration,  there  were  recently  1,880 
classes,  with  1 5,642  men  in  attendance. 

To  each  camp  library  there  have  now  gone  ten 
copies  of  a  book  on  elementary  English  intended  for 
adults.  The  Massachusetts  Free  Public  Library  Com- 
mission has  sent  to  Camp  Devens  copies  of  Field's 
"English  for  New  Americans"  and  Plass's  "Civics  for 
Americans  in  the  Making,"  to  be  used  as  text-books 
in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  classes  in  English  for  foreign- 
speaking  men.  The  English  lessons  are  largely  con- 
versational and  are  planned  as  far  as  possible  to  center 
around  the  daily  duties  of  the  men. 

Non-commissioned  officers  of  one  battalion  are 
excused  from  the  non-commissioned  night  school  to 
take  arithmetic  and  algebra  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

THE    UNEDUCATED 

The  foreign-speaking  men  are  not  the  only  ones 
who  profit  by  these  lessons.  As  a  camp  librarian  was 
looking  at  a  "First  Reader  in  English"  and  trying  to 
decide  what  to  do  with  it,  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  man  saw  the 


36      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

questioning  look  and  said:  "If  you  want  to  keep  that 
book  for  your  library,  better  not  put  it  on  the  open 
shelves ." 

"Why?"  asked  the  librarian. 

"Well,  there  are  a  good  many  men  here  who  do 
not  know  the  rudiments  of  English  but  are  ashamed 
of  the  fact.  They  would  take  a  book  like  that  off 
the  shelves  without  leaving  any  card  because  they 
would  not  want  to  have  it  known  that  they  were  so 
ignorant  of  the  common  tongue." 

A  Y.  M.  C.  A.  man  working  on  the  troop  trains  that 
take  soldiers  from  their  homes  to  the  training  camps 
says  that  he  handed  a  magazine  to  one  man  who 
refused  it.  He  urged  it  upon  him  and  it  was  declined 
a  second  time.  The  new  soldier  was  told  that  if  he 
did  not  care  to  read  it  on  the  train,  he  might  take 
it  with  him  and  read  it  in  camp.  He  looked  up  pa- 
thetically and  replied  "  I  can't  read."  The  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
man  sat  down  beside  him  and  asked  whether  he  might 
not  write  a  message  home  for  him.  The  offer  was 
accepted.  The  "rookie"  was  advised  to  look  up  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  as  soon  as  he  reached  camp  and  get  into 
one  of  the  schools  where  they  would  teach  him  to 
read  and  write  before  he  returned  home. 

Among  the  "squatters"  in  Florida  are  many  families 
in  which  not  only  are  the  children  unable  to  read, 
but  the  parents  do  not  wish  to  have  them  learn.  Peri- 
odicals that  have  been  sent  to  these  families  have 
been  returned  to  the  senders.  The  parents  argued 
that  if  their  children  read  these  magazines  and  looked 
at  the  alluring  illustrations,  they  would  become  dis- 
satisfied with  their  surroundings.  Then  along  came 
the  draft  and  took  the  young  men  out  of  their  satisfied 
but  wretched  state,  and  gave  them  their  first  glimpse 


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EDUCATIONAL    OPPORTUNITIES         3j 

of  the  outside  world.  To  such  the  libraries  and  the 
educational  opportunities  are  a  priceless  boon. 

Some  of  the  Georgia  "crackers"  when  asked  on 
being  registered  what  their  names  were,  would  say 
"Sonny"  or  "Bobby."  In  reply  to  further  prodding 
as  to  family  names  they  pleaded  ignorance  of  a  knowl- 
edge of  anything  but  the  family  nickname.  In  the 
cantonments  there  are  many  illiterate  whites,  blacks, 
Indians  and  half-breeds  who  are  there  taught  how 
to  read  and  write.  Big  strapping  fellows  as  they  are, 
they  must  be  treated  as  school  children  in  matters 
of  intelligence. 

Think  of  what  the  new  military  life  means  to  such 
as  these!  The  draft  takes  them  suddenly  out  of  their 
old  surroundings  and  in  place  of  civil  liberty  surrounds 
them  with  military  restraint,  but  at  the  same  time 
opens  up  vast  new  fields  of  opportunity  for  education 
and  development. 

The  reverse  of  the  picture  is  equally  interesting. 
There  are  estimated  to  be  45,ooo  students  from  the 
576  colleges  of  the  country  in  the  new  American  army. 
In  Camp  Devens  alone  there  were  695  college  men, 
representing  27  New  England  higher  institutions  of 
learning.  From  the  start  these  were  drafted  men 
and  they  exerted  a  marked  influence  upon  their  mess- 
mates, some  of  whom  were  former  mill  operatives 
from  the  textile  centers  of  New  England.  The  pres- 
ence of  these  academically  trained  men  means  a  call 
for  specialized  classes  of  books  in  the  camp  libraries. 
Some  colleges  are  giving  credits  for  studying  done  in 
the  camps  and,  needless  to  say,  the  Library  War 
Service  administration  is  desirous  of  supplying  the 
books  needed. 


38      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

STUDENTS   IN   KHAKI 

A  Committee  on  Education  and  Special  Training 
has  been  created  by  a  General  Order  of  the  War 
Department.  It  is  estimated  that  by  the  fall  of  1918 
from  75,000  to  100,000  men  will  be  given  intensive 
training  in  schools  and  colleges.  These  men  will 
be  drawn  from  the  men  in  training  camps  or  about 
to  be  called  to  the  camps  and  from  the  registrants 
under  the  selective  draft  act.  In  the  selection  of 
men  for  this  intensive  training,  it  is  now  proposed 
to  utilize  the  educational  institutions  of  the  country 
to  the  utmost  and  to  send  a  large  number  of  men  to 
the  colleges  at  an  early  date  for  intensive  training  in 
army  service  through  technical  lines.  In  this  work 
of  intensive  training,  the  technical  literature  which 
is  being  accumulated  in  the  camp  libraries  will  be  of 
prime  importance. 

That  the  officers  and  men  in  the  training  camps  are 
hard  students  of  military  science  is  shown  by  the  use 
they  are  making  of  the  military  manuals  and  other 
books  on  the  science  of  war  in  the  camp  libraries. 
On  a  typical  day  at  Camp  Meade  it  was  found  that 
more  than  a  quarter  of  the  books  drawn  for  use  in 
the  barracks  were  on  military  science.  Here  the 
military  collection  numbers  about  1200  volumes, 
consisting  of  nearly  3oo  different  titles.  One  of  the 
librarian's  requests  was  for  copies  of  all  the  various 
manuals  put  out  for  the  use  of  officers  by  the  War 
Department,  —  at  least  those  that  are  not  confidential. 
Many  men  wish  to  learn  a  particular  branch  so  that 
they  may  become  non-commissioned  officers  or  even 
take  an  examination  to  become  officers. 

The  librarian  at  Camp  MacArthur  reported   that 


EDUCATIONAL    OPPORTUNITIES        3g 

there  were  16,000  new  Signal  Corps  men  there  and 
that  he  had  in  consequence  a  great  call  for  books  on 
Aeronautics.  The  Signal  Corps  section  is  located 
three  miles  from  the  camp  library,  and  the  librarian 
felt  that  they  ought  to  distribute  many  of  the  needed 
volumes  through  the  traveling  libraries.  Ten  copies 
of  each  title  from  an  approved  list  were  sent  to  this 
particular  camp. 

The  announcement  of  the  establishment  of  a  veteri- 
nary school  at  Camp  Lee  means  to  A.  L.  A.  head- 
quarters that  an  urgent  call  for  books  on  veterinary 
science  may  be  expected  from  that  particular  camp 
library. 

An  officer  at  Camp  Lee  was  anxious  to  have  a  few 
books  for  the  guardhouse,  —  books  which  would 
help  inspire  respect  for  military  authority  on  the  part 
of  the  men  who  had  been  guilty  of  breaches  of  dis- 
cipline, —  a  request  which  required  considerable  time 
for  weighing  of  titles. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  character  of  some  of  the 
books  asked  for.  One  applicant  at  the  Camp  Greene 
Library  requested  a  second  Italian  reader,  after  he  had 
been  given  a  copy  of  De  Amicis'  "Cuore."  He  said 
that  he  had  been  to  school  in  Italy,  but  never  to  an 
American  school.  He  rejected  Miss  O'Brien's  "Eng- 
lish for  Foreigners,"  but  was  much  pleased  with 
Baldwin's  "Second  Reader."  The  librarian  at  Camp 
Greene  has  also  had  requests  for  Horace  in  the  original 
and  in  translation.  Spencer's  "Sociology"  circulates 
regularly  there,  as  does  also  James's  "Pragmatism." 
Several  men  would  like  to  read  Ibsen,  either  in  the 
original  or  in  translation.  Books  in  Italian  and 
Polish  were  asked  for  the  use  of  men  in  the  hospitals 
at  Camp  Hancock  who  were  unable  to  read  and  who 


£o      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

could  hardly  speak  English.  A  small  collection  of 
books  in  Arabic  was  asked  for  Camp  MacArthur  where 
there  are  over  one  hundred  men  who  could  use  such 
books.  They  said  in  their  request  that  they  had 
been  able  to  borrow  such  books  from  the  Milwaukee 
Public  Library.  One  of  these  men  suggested  the 
desirability  of  a  Bible  and  some  classics  in  Arabic. 
A  list  of  Hebrew  and  Yiddish  books  compiled  by  some 
of  the  soldiers  at  Camp  Gordon,  was  sent  by  the 
librarian  as  a  request  for  purchase.  It  represented 
some  of  the  best  and  most  popular  authors  in  this 
class. 

Walter  Camp,  the  Divisional  athletic  director  at 
Camp  Hancock,  Georgia,  asked  through  the  camp 
librarian  for  a  few  books  describing  games  which 
could  be  played  by  groups  of  from  ioo  to  1,000  men 
at  a  time. 

"Have  you  any  books  on  cost  accounting?"  asked  a 
soldier  at  the  Camp  Custer  library.  "That  was  my 
line  before  coming  here,  and  if  I  come  back  when  we 
get  through  with  this  war,  I  don't  want  to  start  in  all 
over  again.  I  want  to  keep  up  with  my  line  while  I  am 
working  for  Uncle  Sam." 

"I'd  like  to  get  a  book  on  hog  raising,"  said  another. 
"I'm  reading  up  on  farming.  No  more  indoor  work 
for  me  when  I  get  through  with  this  thing.  After 
Camp  Custer  the  outdoor  life  is  the  life  for  me." 

"Let  me  see  your  latest  book  on  the  nutritive  value 
of  foods,"  said  a  third.  "I'm  from  the  Cooks'  and 
Bakers'  school,  and  I  must  keep  up-to-date  in  my 
lectures  on  the  rationing  of  men." 

"I'd  like  to  have  this  book  renewed  for  two  weeks," 
was  the  request  of  a  man  returning  a  borrowed  book. 
"Reading  about  the  chemistry  of  modern  high  ex- 


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EDUCATIONAL    OPPORTUNITIES        4i 

plosives  does  not  go  very  fast  after  a  hard  day's  work 
in  the  field  —  and,  besides,  this  is  a  big  book." 

There  was  almost  nothing  procurable  in  the  line  of 
books  on  the  use  of  pigeons  in  modern  warfare,  and  the 
men  were  quick  to  comment  on  it.  "Your  books  on 
pigeons  are  not  what  we  need,"  said  a  man  on  this 
work  at  Camp  Custer.  "We  want  something  practical 
on  the  care  and  training  of  homing  pigeons.  Most 
of  the  books  are  for  fanciers  and  they  are  no  good  in 
the  school  of  the  pigeon  loft,  where  we  are  training 
pigeons  for  military  service  and  being  trained  to  train 
and  care  for  them." 

A  sixteen  year  old  Jackie  approached  a  camp  li- 
brarian with  Spencer's  "First  Principles"  in  his  hand. 
"Say,"  said  he,  "could  a  fellow  learn  to  know  poetry 
if  he  should  read  this?  My  brother  writes  poetry 
and  I  want  to  learn  to  know  it."  Many  of  the  re- 
quests show  a  pathetic  craving  for  knowledge. 

At  one  camp  nearly  all  of  the  4000  colored  troops 
have  been  enrolled  in  the  different  classes.  Elementary 
English  classes  have  been  popular  and  educational 
lectures  have  been  well  attended.  The  officers  of  the 
colored  companies  have  insisted  that  their  men  learn 
to  read  and  write;  the  men  themselves  have  become 
interested  to  take  up  the  study  of  mathematics  and 
French.  In  a  number  of  cantonments  a  large  number 
of  colored  officers  have  been  enrolled. 

The  educational  director  at  Camp  MacArthur  reports 
that  French  books  and  magazines,  "particularly  if 
they  contain  illustrations,  will  be  of  service  in  our 
twenty-three  French  classes,  as  will  French  coins 
and  phonograph  records." 

The  camp  libraries  are  a  great  help  to  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.     They  are  valuable 


42      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

auxiliaries  to  the  courses  of  study  in  regard  to  the 
background  of  the  war,  history,  civics,  literature,  social 
conditions,  geography,  and  practical  science  which  are 
being  given  in  the  various  cantonments,  with  a  view 
to  the  cultivation  of  reading  and  study  habits.  The 
plan  is  a  combination  of  the  preceptorial  system  and 
the  university  extension  idea.  Lecturers  live  in  camps 
for  a  week  at  a  time,  and  move  from  building  to 
building.  Thus  they  give  their  inspirational  message 
to  the  entire  camp,  and  special  study  classes  under 
local  volunteer  preceptors  are  formed.  Upon  request 
carefully  selected  libraries,  covering  definite  topics  of 
study,  are  supplied  by  the  A.  L.  A.  Reading  clubs 
are  being  organized  to  guide  the  men's  reading,  and  a 
certificate  is  given  to  the  soldier  who  has  completed 
one  of  the  courses  outlined.  "It's  a  school!"  said  one 
soldier  about  his  camp. 

SERIOUS    READING 

"The  American  Library  Association  cooperates  in 
this  educational  work  by  suggesting  correlative  read- 
ing and  supplying  the  books  required,"  says  Mr. 
Raymond  B.  Fosdick  in  Scribners  Magazine.  'The 
well-equipped  library  in  each  camp  thus  widens  its 
sphere  of  usefulness  beyond  merely  purveying  reading 
matter  for  entertainment,  legitimate  though  that 
sphere  may  be.  The  requirements  for  books  in  the 
camp  libraries  are  more  specialized  than  in  ordinary 
city  libraries.  The  standard  as  a  whole  is  even  higher. 
Men  are  being  called  to  unaccustomed  tasks;  so  they 
are  doing  a  vast  amount  of  'reading  up.'  The  growth 
of  the  reading  habit  among  the  soldiers  has  brought 
to  light  an  interesting  contradiction  to  the  generally 
accepted  theory  that  among  a  group  of  individuals 


EDUCATIONAL    OPPORTUNITIES         43 

the  leveling  process  is  a  leveling  downward.  The 
men  in  the  camps  who  are  readers  stimulate  by  their 
example  the  interest  of  those  who  are  not.  'Have 
you  read  this  story?'  asks  Private  X  of  Private  Y. 
1  Naw,'  replies  Private  Y;  'I  never  read  a  book  through 
in  me  life.'  'Well,  y'oughta  read  this  one.  It's 
better'n  any  movie  show  y'ever  saw.  It's  a  bear!' 
Thus  does  Private  Y  get  an  incentive  to  taste  the  joys 
of  literature.  There  is  a  tendency  toward  a  leveling 
upward." 

A  young  man  about  to  embark  for  unknown  parts 
asked  the  Camp  Librarian  whether  he  might  not  have 
one  of  Shakespeare's  plays  to  take  with  him.  "A 
fellow  has  to  have  something  good  to  read  on  the  ship," 
he  said.  When  given  several  plays  he  was  indeed 
delighted. 

"I've  heard  of  William  Shakespeare  all  my  life 
and  now  I  want  to  read  something  he  has  written," 
said  a  corporal  recently.  A  copy  of  "Julius  Caesar" 
was  at  hand,  and  he  was  started  on  his  course  with 
this.  He  is  now  returning  regularly  to  complete 
his  reading  of  the  other  plays.  Many  men  who 
seldom  frequented  a  library  in  civil  life  have  become 
regular  readers  of  books  of  poetry,  history,  and  travel. 
Others  have  said  that  they  are  using  the  camp  library 
and  their  present  opportunities  for  catching  up  on 
general  reading. 

A  private  in  a  Texas  camp  asked  for  books  on 
intensive  agriculture.  When  asked  why  he  was  in- 
terested in  this  special  subject,  he  replied:  "I'm  a 
farmer.  My  dad  has  a  truck-farm  just  outside  of 
Houston,  and  he  sent  me  to  agricultural  school  to 
learn  the  up-to-date  methods.  I've  simply  got  to 
read  these  things  and  keep  up-to-date  so  that  when 


44      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

I  get  through  soldiering  I'll  know  how  to  handle  a 
cultivator.  And  say  —  have  you  got  David  Grayson's 
'Adventures  in  Contentment?"' 

Another  private,  at  Camp  Greene,  said  that  he  valued 
the  camp  library  as  he  did  his  pay  check.  The  latter 
kept  him  in  tobacco  while  the  former  kept  him  in 
touch  with  his  trade  so  that  after  the  war  he  would 
be  able  to  go  back  with  an  up-to-date  knowledge 
of  automobile  repairing  and  garage  work.  He  also 
said  that  he  had  been  able  to  find  in  the  books  many 
interesting  things  which  he  had  tried  but  never  before 
been  able  to  locate. 

The  librarian  at  Camp  Pike  writes:  "You  and  your 
friends  cannot  do  too  much  for  these  soldiers.  The 
drafted  men  are,  in  many  cases,  suffering  a  rude 
shock  in  the  strange  conditions  that  now  'surround 
them.  Many  of  them  were  men  of  importance  in 
their  communities  and  not  a  few  show  gentle  breeding, 
but  they  are  herded  together  here,  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions together  in  one  barrack  building,  standing 
in  line,  220  of  them  with  their  tin  cans  at  meal- time, 
sleeping  on  cots  not  three  feet  apart  and  doing  all 
the  rough  work  of  the  camp.  The  work  is  necessary, 
of  course,  and  the  men  do  little  complaining,  but  many 
of  them  have  the  blues.  I  must  not  leave  the  impres- 
sion that  I  think  this  experience  a  bad  thing  for  these 
fellows.  I  do  not.  In  the  end  they  will  be  better 
men  than  they  ever  were  —  harder  physically,  more 
alert,  more  forceful,  and  in  every  way  more  mature. 
The  army  is  making  efficients  out  of  ineflficients, 
strong  men  out  of  weaklings,  and  those  who  come  back 
from  this  war  will  be  far  more  effective  citizens  than 
they  would  otherwise  have  been." 


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EDUCATIONAL    OPPORTUNITIES        45 
CANADIAN   KHAKI   COLLEGE 

At  Witley  Camp  occupied  by  some  of  the  Canadian 
forces  in  England,  the  library  hut  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
with  the  three  adjacent  huts  have  been  handed  over 
by  the  authorities  for  educational  purposes.  They 
constitute  the  pioneer  college  of  the  "Canadian  Khaki 
University."  Two  thirds  of  the  length  of  the  library 
hut  are  filled  with  tables  and  chairs,  while  well-filled 
bookcases  extend  across  the  end  of  the  hut.  An  al- 
cove is  reserved  for  officers  and  the  college  staff,  and 
a  small  room  is  set  aside  for  the  living  and  sleeping 
quarters  of  the  officer  in  charge. 

The  classes  were  originally  held  in  the  library  hut, 
but  as  that  came  to  be  filled  to  overflowing  by  the 
growing  classes,  a  second  and  then  a  third  hut  was 
added.  Courses  are  given  in  English,  French,  the 
Classics,  mathematics,  and  agriculture,  and  "credits" 
are  given  for  work  properly  done.  Hitherto  the 
teaching  has  been  volunteer  work,  but  it  is  probable 
that  it  will  be  made  a  part  of  the  military  duties  of 
those  engaged  in  it. 

The  "Canadian  Khaki  College,"  it  is  stated  in  the 
prospectus,  "has been  organized  to  enable  all  Canadian 
troops,  in  England  or  France,  to  utilize  their  spare 
time  in  improving  their  education  and  in  fitting  them- 
selves to  occupy  upon  return  to  Canada  more  impor- 
tant and  lucrative  positions  in  civil  life." 

"I  think  that  I  shall  go  back  to  school"  is  the 
answer  made  by  many  a  Canadian  soldier  when  asked 
the  usual  question  as  to  his  after-the-war  plans.  Many 
of  the  lads  are  going  back  to  school  while  still  in  the 
ranks,  for  there  is  another  Canadian  Soldiers'  College 
at  Seaford  in  Sussex,  near  Brighton,  where  there  are 


46       WAR     LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

classes  in  engineering,  in  agriculture,  and  the  humani- 
ties. There  is  a  class  in  modern  Italian,  and  a  larger 
one  in  Spanish,  for  Canadians  are  keenly  interested 
in  the  development  of  Mexico  and  South  America. 
Provision  is  made  for  all  classes  of  men,  from  those 
with  the  mere  rudiments  of  an  education  to  university 
undergraduates  and  those  preparing  for  matriculation. 
Examinations  are  held  and  certificates  given,  and  men 
are  helped  to  complete  an  interrupted  academic  course 
and  prepare  themselves  for  a  satisfactory  position 
after  the  war.  Grown  men,  learned  in  some  craft 
or  other  but  deficient  in  the  three  R's,  have  here 
mastered  the  intricacies  of  reading  so  as  to  make  out 
the  orders  on  the  bulletin  boards,  write  their  own 
letters,  and  look  after  their  accounts.  At  the  other 
end  of  the  scale  are  the  enthusiastic  soldier  students 
who  have  covered  three  months  of  university  work 
in  six  weeks.  For  all  this,  books  are  needed  and  the 
college  library  is  drawn  upon  daily  by  the  students 
in  khaki. 

The  National  War  Work  Council  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
plans  a  novel  kind  of  "university"  in  France  for  the 
American  Expeditionary  Force,  with  class  rooms  in 
the  5oo  huts  scattered  along  the  French  front.  It 
will  be  known  as  the  "Department  of  Education" 
and  will  be  a  component  part  of  the  United  States  army. 
General  Pershing  has  offered  the  services  of  all  such 
soldiers  who  are  competent  instructors  and  who  can 
be  spared  from  strictly  military  duty.  Mr.  E.  C. 
Carter,  general  secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  France, 
has  charge  of  the  work  of  organization  and  Dr.  Anson 
Phelps  Stokes,  secretary  of  Yale  University,  has 
accepted  the  invitation  to  become  temporary  director. 
Not  only  will  elementary  subjects  be  taught  but  pro- 


EDUCATIONAL    OPPORTUNITIES        £7 

vision  will  be  made  for  more  advanced  students  whose 
college  studies  have  been  interrupted  by  the  war. 
A  group  of  French  educators  have  offered  their  services 
to  this  unique  "university."  The  problem  of  pro- 
viding books  will  have  to  be  met  and  the  A.  L.  A. 
holds  itself  in  readiness  to  cooperate. 

STUDYING   FRENCH 

There  are  to-day  over  100,000  soldiers  in  the  United 
States  studying  French.  To  aid  them  in  the  intensive 
work  which  these  men  must  do  in  order  to  fit  them  for 
service  in  France,  the  A.  L.  A.  has  bought  thousands 
of  manuals,  texts,  and  dictionaries,  including  2,000 
copies  of  each  of  three  beginner's  books  which  were 
considered  best  suited  for  the  needs  of  the  men.  Many 
helpful  language  aids  have  been  presented  by  in- 
terested friends.  Some  of  the  numerous  books  on 
the  study  of  French  bear  the  imprint  of  such  authori- 
tative bodies  as  the  National  Security  League,  the 
U.  S.  Marine  Corps  Publicity  Bureau,  and  the  U.  S. 
War  Department. 

The  man  who  studied  French  in  college  will  find 
that  his  knowledge  of  the  language  is  "flat,  stale,  and 
unprofitable"  unless  he  familiarizes  himself  with  the 
intricacies  of  its  idioms  and  carries  also  a  well-stocked 
vocabulary  of  the  trench  French  in  common  use. 

We  are  told  that  some  of  the  British  officers  who 
are  conscious  of  their  shortcomings  as  linguists,  leave 
speaking  French  to  "Tommy,"  who  is  less  diffident 
about  displaying  his  accomplishments.  His  distor- 
tion of  the  language  makes  up  for  its  lack  of  elegance 
by  a  certain  aptness.  The  priest  he  styles  "Le  cor- 
beau,"  his  black  cassock  giving  him  the  appearance 
of  the  somber  bird;  hospital  beds  he  calls  "  les  pageols" 


48     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

and  with  equal  lack  of  feeling  dubs  the  surgical  table 
"le  billiard."  " Les  boyaux"  he  uses  for  trenches  of 
communication;  "le  bronze''''  for  artillery  regiments. 
The  German  soldiers  he  names  "taupes"  (moles). 
A  bayonet  he  christens  "un  cure-dents"  (a  toothpick) 
or  "un  tire-boche,"  with  a  play  on  "  tire-bouchon" 
(a  corkscrew),  or  "un  tourne-bouche"  punning  with 
" tournebroche "  (a  kitchen  utensil).  The  mitrailleuse 
is  called  the  "coffee  grinder."  A  man  of  short 
stature  is  said  to  be  loin  du  ciel,  "far  from  heaven." 
"Toots-sweet"  is  Tommy's  French  for  "hurry  up," 
"look  smart."  Wipers  is  his  name  for  Ypres;  some- 
times he  calls  it  Yeeps,  —  a  place  up  the  line  which 
Tommy  likes  to  duck,  says  Sergeant  Empey.  Panam 
is  his  affectionate  name  for  Paris;  but  he  also  calls  it 
Pantruche,  and  a  Parisian  a  Pantruchard.  Armen- 
tieres  is  called  Armenteers;  Balleul  becomes  Bally  all; 
Hazebrouck  is  pronounced  Hazybrook,  and  Ploegsteert 
is  anglicized  into  Plug  Street.  "Napoo"  is  said  when 
he  has  an  elegant  sufficiency  and  pushes  his  plate 
away.  It  is  also  argot  for  "there  is  no  more,"  "it's 
all  gone,"  "to  put  an  end  to,"  and  "to  stop."  The 
word  is  probably  a  corruption  of  "il  ny  a  plus."  Ian 
Hay  says  that  it  also  means  "not  likely"  or  "nothing 
doing"  and  that  by  a  further  development  it  has  come 
to  mean  "done  for,"  "finished,"  and  in  extreme  cases 
"dead."  "Poor  Bill  got  na-poohed  by  a  rifle  grenade 
yesterday,"  a  mourning  friend  will  say.  "Napoo 
fini"  expresses  gone,  through  with,  finished,  disap- 
peared. " Sanifairyann"  is  an  anglicization  of  Cela 
ne  fait  rien  and  means  (to  Tommy)  the  same  as  "  na- 
poo." "Jake"  expresses  satisfaction.  If  a  girl  is 
pretty  she  is  "jake";  if  a  stew  tastes  good,  it  is  "jake." 
It  is  presumably  an  anglicization  of  "chic."     It  is 


EDUCATIONAL    OPPORTUNITIES        4g 

the  opposite  of  "napoo."  Tommy  has  also  found 
a  new  phrase  to  take  the  place  of  the  cheerful  but 
outworn  expression  "I  should  worry."  It  is  "C'est 
la  guerre'"1  or  as  an  American  would  put  it,  "That's 
war."  Every  discomfort  or  peril  of  the  soldier's 
life  can  be  set  at  naught  by  this  philosophical  remark. 
Is  a  dug-out  bombed  or  a  parapet  blown  away?  Cest 
la  guerre.     Is  the  mud  thigh  deep?     Cest  la  guerre. 

Apres  la  guerre  is  Tommy's  definition  of  Heaven. 
" Compray,,  is  trench  for  "Do  you  understand?"  and 
is  universally  used  in  the  trenches.  "Du  pan'  is 
Tommy's  word  for  bread.  "Der  ujfs"  he  says  when 
he  wants  two  eggs.  Poilu,  which  is  the  French  term 
for  their  private  soldier,  Tommy  uses  but  pronounces 
each  time  differently,  so  that  no  one  knows  what  he 
is  talking  about.  This  little  word  in  such  popular 
use  was  once  the  affectionate  name  given  to  the  bearded 
warriors  of  early  days  whose  hirsute  adornments 
seldom  suffered  the  barber's  blighting  hand. 

'They  say  that  French  is  the  easiest  language  in 
the  world,"  a  loyal  Lancastrian  remarked.  "Rot! 
Give  me  Lancashire  every  day;  anybody  can  under- 
stand that!"  Tommy  says  that  his  objection  to 
French  is  based  on  the  fact  that  you  spell  it  one  way 
and  speak  it  another.  Tommy  is  sometimes  very 
fluent,  but  it  takes  an  expert  to  understand  his  French. 

The  picturesqueness  of  Tommy's  slang  is  only 
equaled  by  that  of  the  "poilu"  with  his  genius  for 
expression.  Coffee,  his  all-important  beverage,  he 
has  christened  "yus"  (juice),  and  the  English  "bully," 
or  canned  beef,  is  styled  "sm^e"  (monkey),  while 
the  soup  (often  bad)  is  "lavasse"  (dishwater).  The 
bullets  he  fires  are  "manoris"  (chestnuts)  or  "pru- 
neaux"  (plums). 


5o      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

And  so  on  —  to  the  endless  discomfort  of  the  lexi- 
cographers "apres  la  guerre."  Surely  in  linguistic  com- 
plications the  "Tower  of  Babel"  episode  fades  into 
insignificance  beside  the  "confusion  of  tongues"  in 
the  trenches  of  France.  But  t  in  the  vernacular  of 
Tommy  "C'es/  la  guerre!" 


WAR     SERVICE     OF     THE     A.   L.   A.  5l 


3.    THE   WORK   OVERSEAS 

Shortly  after  our  entrance  into  the  war  Lord  North- 
cliffe,  in  a  message  to  Americans,  had  some  helpful 
things  to  say  as  to  what  the  American  soldiers  would 
need  in  the  way  of  food  and  equipment  when  sent  to 
France  or  Belgium.  "But  your  boy  wants  more  than 
these  things,''  said  he.  "Has  it  ever  occurred  to  you 
that  he  must  be  amused?  He  must  have  moving 
pictures,  talking  machines,  books,  magazines,  home 
newspapers,  each  of  them  occupying  valuable  tonnage 
and  ships." 

"If  your  soldier  is  more  of  a  reader  than  a  card- 
player,"  wrote  Lord  Northcliffe  on  another  occasion, 
"send  him  books,  only  be  sure  they  are  small  books, 
'infinite  riches  in  a  little  room.'  A  tiny  selection  of 
poems  by  a  favorite  poet,  or  a  miniature  edition  of 
some  story,  some  essays,  some  work  of  research  or 
imagination,  an  edition  that  will  go  into  the  pocket 
without  taking  up  too  much  space.  That  is  a  gift 
which  will  bring  to  many  a  soldier  the  finest  pleasure 
of  all  pleasures,  absorption  in  the  visions  or  the  thoughts 
of  one  of  the  world's  great  minds.  Remember  that 
soldiers  at  the  front  have  a  great  deal  of  time  on  their 
hands.  They  need  occupation.  Their  recreation  is 
limited  to  smoking,  chatting  and  reading.  How  the  men 
in  the  line  hunger  for  'something  to  read,'  how  they  go 
through  the  magazines,  daily  and  weekly  papers,  even 
through  scraps  of  old  paper,  how  they  enjoy  anything 
fresh  which  will  'take  them  out  of  themselves'  for 
a  little  while  —  I  could  describe  from  personal  ex- 
perience and  illustrate  by  many  a  pathetic  anecdote." 

Clive  Holland  writes  that  British  soldiers  returning 


52      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

home  have  said  that  but  for  the  solace  of  reading  they 
would  indeed  have  been  badly  off  for  recreation  and 
amusement  in  the  gloomy  dugouts,  in  the  trenches, 
and  the  huts  which  afforded  them  some  sort  of  shelter. 
There,  often  by  the  light  of  a  candle  stuck  in  a  bottle, 
or  upon  a  piece  of  wood  with  a  nail  driven  through 
it,  the  war  is  happily  driven  from  the  mind  by  the 
"magic  carpet"  of  some  book  of  travel  or  romance. 

The  day  after  a  great  advance,  one  soldier  wrote: 
"On  such  a  day  as  this,  one  wishes  to  read  well- 
expressed  words  which  deal  with  eternal  things." 

A  British  soldier  was  displaying  one  of  Anthony 
Trollope's  novels  with  a  hole  the  size  of  a  lead  pencil 
four-fifths  of  the  way  through  it.  "This  saved  my 
life,"  he  said  fondly.  "That  hole  is  a  German  Mauser 
bullet-hole.  When  I  received  the  book  and  com- 
menced reading  it,  I  wrote  home:  'Thanks  for  the 
novel  by  Trollope.  It's  a  bit  hard  reading  and  plenty 
of  it.'    Luckily  for  me  there  was." 

Some  British  soldiers  stationed  in  Flanders  became 
interested  in  gardening.  Some  one  mentioned  that 
there  was  a  book  called  "Mrs.  Wiggs  of  the  Cabbage 
Patch"  and  one  of  the  enthusiastic  soldiers  was  asked 
to  write  home  for  it.  "  It  must  have  something  about 
other  things  than  cabbage  in  it,"  said  one  of  the 
company,  who  had  visions  of  a  book  with  timely  hints 
for  timely  crops.  When  the  book  came  it  was  a  dis- 
appointment in  one  way,  but  all  the  men  enjoyed  read- 
ing it  and  the  mere  title  became  a  standing  joke. 

"Private  No.  q4o,"  in  his  book  "On  the  Remainder 
of  our  Front,"  describes  the  rain,  mud  and  filth  of  the 
trenches.     "I  have  finished  'The  Inviolable  Sanctuary 
and  I  can't  get  out  another  book,  as  my  haversack  is 
so  beastly  slimy.  .  .  .  Everything  was  too  filthy  for 


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THE    WORK    OVERSEAS  .  53 

writing.  In  the  afternoon  I  endeavored  to  forget  my 
surroundings  by  plunging  into  the  intricacies  of  Brown- 
ing, and  between  the  showers  I  got  through  two 
thousand  lines  of  'The  Ring  and  the  Book." 

The  men  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Force  need 
and  appreciate  books  just  as  much  as  do  the  British 
soldiers.  Alan  Seeger  wrote  on  the  fly  leaves  of  a 
copy  of  Rousseau's  "Confessions":  "We  put  in  a 
very  pleasant  week  here  —  nine  hours  of  guard  at 
night  in  our  outposts  upon  the  hillside;  in  the  daytime 
sleep,  or  foraging  in  the  ruined  villages,  loafing  in  the 
pretty  garden  of  the  chateau  or  reading  in  the  library. 
We  have  cleaned  this  up  now,  and  it  is  an  altogether 
curious  sensation  to  recline  here  in  an  easy  chair, 
reading  some  fine  old  book,  and  just  taking  the  pre- 
caution not  to  stay  in  front  of  the  glassless  windows 
through  which  the  sharpshooters  can  snipe  at  you 
from  their  posts  in  the  thickets  on  the  slopes  of  the 
plateau,  not  six  hundred  metres  away."  A  Massa- 
chusetts boy  who  had  been  gassed  wrote  from  an 
overseas  hospital  to  a  friend  engaged  in  Library  War 
Service:  "Really  it's  a  great  work,"  said  he.  "The 
men  in  the  trenches,  in  the  rest  billets,  in  the  field  hos- 
pitals, in  the  evacuation  hospitals,  in  the  base  hospitals 
even,  depend  on  smokes  and  reading  to  help  kill  time. 
It  is  essential  that  men  have  something  good  to  keep 
their  minds  on  after  the  trench  routine  and  in  the  hospi- 
tals. I  know,  because  I've  spent  three  weeks  in  a  field 
hospital  and  three  weeks  in  a  French  hospital.  I've 
read  from  cover  to  cover  papers  four  to  five  months 
old,  from  Waco  and  San  Antonio;  spent  hours  on  the 
Methodist  Monthly,  and  enthused  over  an  Outlook  of 
last  October.    It  is  a  good  work  —  keep  it  up." 


54      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 
NEWS   FROM   HOME   WANTED 

"I'm  out  here  in  the  R.  F.  A.  with  krumps  bursting 
on  my  cocoanut  and  am  going  to  see  it  through," 
wrote  an  American  soldier  to  Frederick  Palmer.  "If 
you've  got  any  American  newspapers  or  magazines 
lying  around  loose  please  send  them  to  me,  as  I  am  far 
from  California." 

Necessarily,  magazines  and  newspapers  must  come 
from  the  United  States.  Foreign  magazines  cannot 
take  the  place  of  those  the  men  have  been  accustomed 
to  read  and  foreign  newspapers  fail  to  satisfy  the 
craving  for  news  from  home.  American  periodicals 
are  received  as  gifts  from  individuals  and  institutions 
in  the  States  or  are  purchased  in  London  through  the 
Dorlands  News  Agency  which,  through  the  efforts  of 
Governor  Edge  of  New  Jersey,  obtains  special  discounts 
for  the  American  Red  Cross  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  Councils  of  Defense  of  the  various  states  have 
been  asked  to  supply  their  local  newspapers,  with  the 
result  that  city  and  town  papers  have  been  received 
from  all  states.  Arrangements  will  eventually  have 
to  be  made  whereby  magazines  and  newspapers  will 
be  shipped  by  the  American  Red  Cross  and  the  Ameri- 
can Library  Association  to  a  central  overseas  station 
for  distribution.  As  far  as  possible  weekly  bundles 
have  been  sent  to  the  British  base  hospitals  having 
American  staffs,  to  the  hospitals  in  England  where 
American  soldiers  are  received,  and  to  those  centers 
through  which  American  troops  pass  on  their  way  to 
France.  The  Care  Committee  for  Soldiers  and  Sailors 
—  a  branch  of  the  London  Chapter  —  looks  after  the 
individual  Americans  scattered  in  small  numbers 
among  the  various  English  hospitals,  supplying  home 


THE    WORK     OVERSEAS  55 

papers  and  magazines  which  help  them  to  pass  many  a 
tedious  hour. 

Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt  has  recently  urged  the 
American  public  to  send  newspapers  to  our  soldiers  in 
France.  His  appeal  was  the  result  of  a  letter  which 
he  received  from  an  American  woman  in  France. 
She  described  the  American  Red  Cross  hospital  at 
Neuilly  "where  the  wards  are  already  full  and  the 
halls  are  lined  with  men  on  stretchers  waiting  to  have 
their  wounds  dressed,"  and  she  added:  "The  men 
are  splendid,  and  not  complaining.  They  are  patheti- 
cally eager  for  home  news,  and  there  is  nothing  they 
wish  for  more  than  home  papers.  I  wish  that  you 
would  suggest  that  more  papers  be  sent  them.  They 
do  not  want  old  papers  that  have  been  read  and  thrown 
away,  but  daily  papers  mailed  regularly  to  them." 
"I  very  earnestly  make  an  appeal  not  only  for  New 
York  and  Boston  papers,  but  that  all  American  papers 
be  sent  to  the  boys,"  said  Colonel  Roosevelt  in  giving 
out  the  letter.  "Funds  should  be  provided  to  send 
papers  regularly  to  the  hospitals  where  the  boys  from 
their  districts  are  likely  to  go." 

A  few  brief  extracts  from  letters  sent  to  the  Care 
Committee  of  the  American  Red  Cross,  London 
Chapter,  will  show  how  much  the  men  in  the  service 
appreciate  the  papers  and  magazines  that  have  been 
sent  them.  One  American  who  had  gone  to  Canada 
to  enlist  and  had  been  in  France  for  a  year  says  that 
the  reading  made  the  long  hours  seem  short.  Another 
writes  from  a  Canadian  Military  Hospital  in  Kent, 
sending  a  contribution  of  one  dollar  to  the  Red  Cross 
and  asking  to  be  remembered  when  possible  with  a 
"Buckeye"  newspaper  or  a  personal  letter:  "It  was 
surely  fine  to  get  those  New  York  papers,"  writes  a 


56      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

member  of  an  aero  squadron,  recuperating  in  a  military 
hospital  in  Wiltshire.  "The  Popular  Mechanics  was 
a  godsend.  The  Saturday  Evening  Post  is  worth  its 
weight  in  gold  to  me.  When  at  Yale,  I  can  remember 
how  books  and  studies  lost  their  values  every  Thursday 
when  the  mail  brought  the  Post.,,  A  fourth  man  says 
that  the  letter  received  from  the  Care  Committee 
found  him  in  bed,  thinking  that  he  was  one  of  the 
forgotten  ones.  "You  have  no  idea  what  comfort 
I  derived  from  those  home  papers!  I  even  read  the 
department  store  advertisements." 

THE   AMERICAN   RED   CROSS 

The  American  Red  Cross  has  provided  recreation 
huts  for  the  personnel  of  numerous  base  hospitals. 
These  have  been  placed  under  the  control  and  direction 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Whether  similar  huts  are  to  be 
established  at  other  hospitals  on  similar  terms  has 
not  yet  been  announced  but  the  A.  L.  A.  contribution 
in  such  cases  will  be  through  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  Red  Cross  Library  service  in  France  is  reaching 
eighteen  base  hospitals,  twenty  camp  hospitals,  and 
nine  other  stations  of  one  sort  or  another.  The 
Paris  representative  of  the  Red  Cross  has  been  receiv- 
ing from  London  about  two  thousand  volumes  a 
month  and  has  spent  from  twelve  hundred  to  fourteen 
hundred  francs  a  month  on  subscriptions  to  periodicals; 
in  addition  he  has  received  about  two  thousand  volumes 
from  one  chapter  in  New  England  and  similar  amounts 
from  other  donors. 

In  order  .to  clear  up  some  inevitable  confusion  at 
the  distributing  centers,  special  American  Red  Cross 
representatives  now  act  as  receiving  agents.  The 
hospital   organization  is   expanding  rapidly   and   the 


©  International  Film  Sennet 

21.  THE  AMERICAN  UNIVERSITY  UNION,  AN  ARMY  CLUB 
FOR   COLLEGE   MEN   IN   PARIS 

Established   by    the  joint   action  of  a  score  of   American   colleges   and 

universities 


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THE     WORK     OVERSEAS  b'j 

camp  hospitals  are  increasing  at  the  rate  of  six  a 
month  so  that  a  large  stock  of  books  must  be  quickly 
shipped  and  distributed. 

The  Library  Committee  of  the  London  Chapter  of 
the  American  Red  Cross  aims  to  supply : 

(a)  The  American  Red  Cross  in  France  with  books 
needed  for  their  own  hospitals  as  well  as  those  of  the 
American  Expeditionary  Force. 

(6)  The  British  Base  hospitals  in  France,  where 
the  doctors,  nurses,  and  orderlies  are  American,  with 
books  and  American  magazines  and  newspapers. 

(c)  The  American  sick  and  wounded  in  England, 
either  in  American  or  English  hospitals,  with  books, 
magazines  and  newspapers. 

(d)  Hospitals  at  certain  American  naval  bases  and 
some  out-of-the-way  naval  stations,  with  all  forms  of 
literature. 

Owing  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  postal  connections 
between  London  and  France,  it  was  found  to  be 
impossible  to  supply  some  of  the  A.  R.  C.  hospitals  in 
France  with  newspapers  and  magazines. 

The  books  used  are  either  gifts  —  the  number  of 
which  is  very  small  —  or  they  are  purchased  in  the 
London  market.  They  are  restricted  almost  entirely 
to  popular  editions,  either  in  paper  or  cloth  bindings, 
costing  from  sixpence  to  a  shilling.  As  the  life  of 
these  books  is  exceedingly  short  they  must  soon  be 
replaced.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to  import  books 
from  America;  at  the  present  time  tonnage  is  needed 
for  more  essential  things  and  it  was  anticipated  that 
the  A.  L.  A.  would  sooner  or  later  be  able  to  make 
shipments  on  a  large  scale.  The  Library  Committee 
was  eagerly  awaiting  the  time  when  such  shipments 
could  be  made  from  the  United  States  as  the  demand 


58      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

for  books  "over  there"  far  exceeded  the  supply  and  the 
purchases  for  the  American  forces  are  an  additional 
drain  which  tends  to  increase  the  prices  in  the  book 
market.  Books  which  last  year  cost  one  shilling  now 
cost  is.  6d.  and  the  cost  of  corrugated  paper  used  in 
wrapping  has  advanced  from  five  shillings  per  roll  to 
thirty-eight  shillings.  Not  only  are  wooden  crates 
most  difficult  to  procure,  but  the  price  is  prohibitive. 
"As  the  American  forces  in  Europe  grow,"  writes 
Mr.  Lawrence  L.  Tweedy,  Chairman  of  the  Library 
Committee,  "and  as  the  war  progresses,  with  the  con- 
sequent larger  number  of  sick  and  wounded  the 
literature  we  will  need  will  increase  enormously,  and 
it  will  be  impossible  to  obtain  here  anything  like  the 
amount  required.  .  .  .  The  choice  of  the  books  we 
distribute  depends  on  the  use  to  which  they  are  to  be 
put.  If  they  are  meant  for  immediate  distribution  in 
the  wards,  where  many  must  be  destroyed  almost 
immediately  because  of  infection,  and  where  the  men 
want  only  to  be  amused,  we  restrict  ourselves  almost 
entirely  to  fiction,  and  fight  fiction  at  that.  Where 
we  are  supplying  more  or  less  permanent  libraries  for 
hospital  staffs  or  for  some  of  the  naval  stations,  we 
try  to  give  them  a  little  of  all  kinds  of  books,  such 
as  the  classics,  essays,  poetry  and  biography,  but  still 
for  the  greater  part,  fiction." 

EARLY  ARRIVALS   "OVER   THERE " 

An  American  soldier  who  reached  France  in  July, 
1915,  sent  to  the  Nation  a  letter  dated  November  25, 
191 7,  in  which  he  gave  a  fist  of  the  32  books  that  he 
had  been  able  to  read  since  his  arrival  over  there. 
"What  I  read,  wherewithal  I  while  my  hours  of  leisure, 
that  is  one  of  my  largest  little  problems,"  he  wrote. 


THE    WORK    OVERSEAS  5g 

"I  set  myself  a  certain  vague  standard,  and  only  very 
seldom,  when  none  of  my  genuine  'elegibles'  are 
obtainable,  am  I  compelled  to  resort  to  books  of  no 
particular  reputation."  His  reading  included  Scott's 
"Woodstock";  Dickens'  "Tale  of  Two  Cities,"  "Hard 
Times,"  "Pictures  from  Italy";  Reade,  "The  Cloister 
and  the  Hearth";  George  Eliot's  "Adam  Bede"; 
Jane  Austen's  "Sense  and  Sensibility";  Jane  Porter's 
"Thaddeus  of  Warsaw";  Mrs.  Oliphant's  "Owd 
Bob";  Bulwer-Lytton's  "Last  Days  of  Pompeii"; 
Charles  Kingsley's  "Westward  Ho!";  Henry  Kings- 
ley's  "Ravenshoe";  Blackmore's  "Lorna  Doone"; 
Hugo's  "Toilers  of  the  Sea";  Borrow's  "Bible 
in  Spain";  Irving's  "Sketch  Book";  Stevenson's 
"Vailima  Letters";  Henry  James'  "The  Ameri- 
can"; Mrs.  Humphry  Ward's  "The  Marriage  of 
William  Ashe";  Anthony  Hope's  "The  King's 
Mirror";  Gilbert  Parker's  "The  Right  of  Way," 
"Seats  of  the  Mighty,"  "When  Valmond  Came  to 
Pontiac"  and  "Donovan  Pasha."  In  lighter  vein  are 
Lucas  Mallet's  "Adrian  Savage";  Agnes  and  Egerton 
Castle's  "Incomparable  Bellairs"  and  "If  Youth  but 
Knew";  Hall  Caine's  "Son  of  Hagar";  and  Denby's 
"Let  the  Roof  Fall  In."  In  French  he  read  twelve  of 
Corneille's  plays;  George  Sand's  "Jeanne"  and  Tol- 
stoi's "Le  Pere  Serge." 

"And  of  more  or  better,  what  need  has  any  man? 
Some  of  these  books  I  found  in  hospitals;  some  I 
bought  almost  in  the  trenches  where  civilians  still 
clung  to  the  wreckage;  some  I  borrowed  from 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  libraries;  some  I  raked  out  of  the  jaws  of 
'death  by  incinerator';  some  I  swapped  with  comrades; 
and  others  I  simply  'acquired'  (whereof  the  less  said 
the  better).    The  best  and  largest  Y.  M.  C.  A.  library 


60      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

I  have  ever  seen  in  France  is  at  3i,  Avenue  Montaigne, 
in  Paris,  and  American  soldiers  of  literary  bent  should 
consider  themselves  fortunate  in  the  way  their  needs 
have  there  been  met.  During  my  ten  days'  leave  to 
Paris,  the  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  the  chief  center 
of  interest." 

Miss  Eveline  W.  Brainerd  published  in  the  Inde- 
pendent of  January  19, 1918,  an  account  of  the  work  in 
the  book  department  at  the  Paris  headquarters  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  On  the  boat  going  over  one  man  had 
assured  her  that  "soldiers  don't  want  books;  they 
won't  read."  A  Major  qualified  this  by  a  positive 
statement  that  what  the  men  wanted  was  "light 
stuff,"  —  "something  exciting;  they  won't  read  any- 
thing else."  While  "light  stuff"  and  "something  excit- 
ing" led  in  popularity  at  first,  later  there  came  requests 
for  such  things  as  a  life  of  Gordon,  Tennyson's  poems,  a 
work  on  elementary  law,  and  one  on  electrical  engineer- 
ing. A  secretary  asked  for  "at  least  twenty  histories 
of  France,"  and  wanted  to  know  how  many  more 
could  be  supplied  later.  The  book-shops  of  Paris 
were  scoured  for  dictionaries,  atlases,  travel  books, 
Kipling,  Seeger,  Service  and  Wells,  for  everything  on 
the  battle  of  the  Marne  and  on  international  relations. 

An  unavoidable  ignorance  of  what  books  would  be 
most  wanted,  how  quickly  and  in  what  quantity,  and 
difficulties  of  transportation  from  England  and  America 
were  responsible  for  the  extreme  shortage  of  books  at 
the  beginning.  Last  fall  there  was  frequently  not 
enough  to  go  around.  One  man  from  a  camp  popped 
his  head  in  at  the  book  department  and  said  with  a 
smile:  "Just  wanted  to  remind  you,  —  twenty-four 
books,  twenty  thousand  men!"  Another  man  with  a 
sense  of  humor  reported  that  he  was  in  charge  of  two 


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THE    WORK    OVERSEAS  6l 

huts  with  "very  few  books  and  those  about  to  perish 
of  old  age."  A  visitor  went  back  to  his  fifteen  hundred 
soldiers  with  a  single  armful  of  volumes  —  all  that 
headquarters  could  spare  him. 

Maps  are  the  most  popular  wall  decorations  in  the 
American  huts  in  France.  Groups  are  seen  gathered 
around  them  as  long  as  there  is  light  enough  to  make 
out  the  lines,  and  the  region  in  which  the  camp  is 
located  is  worn  white  by  constant  tracing,  and  the 
spot  that  represents  Paris  is  worn  through  the  paper. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  French  readers  are  anxious  to 
see  pictures  of  the  United  States. 

"Scant  as  the  libraries  at  the  front  have  been  and 
still  are,"  says  Miss  Brainerd  in  conclusion,  "little  as 
they  hold  of  recent  publications,  they  are  yet  circu- 
lating thousands  of  books  and  do  fine  service  all  of 
the  daytime.  But  the  night  falls  early  and  fights  are 
not  plenty,  and  then  comes  the  need  for  something 
lively,  and  new  to  all.  It  is  half-past  five  of  a  cloudy 
afternoon  such  as  come  often  in  this  damp  land.  Some 
four  hundred  men  are  packed  close  as  they  can  crowd 
within  a  hut.  Here  and  there  a  candle  held  by  some 
willing  hand  picks  out  the  darkness  and  before  this 
eager  audience  stands  the  secretary,  reading  Empey's 
'Over  the  Top.'  Two  soldiers  hold  pocket  electric 
lamps  to  light  the  page,  and  comrades  relieve  each 
other  now  and  then.  The  book  is  borrowed,  the  only 
copy  probably  in  all  the  line  of  huts  that,  scattered 
miles  apart,  serve  thousands  of  men.  It  must  be  sent 
on  as  soon  as  may  be  to  the  next  secretary,  and  so 
along  the  line,  until  in  every  hut  has  been  repeated 
this  scene  of  the  intent  men  sitting  and  standing  in 
the  shadows,  the  only  brightness  in  the  room  being 
that  falling  on  the  reader's  hands." 


62      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 
THE  A.   L.   A.    IN   FRANCE 

Now  that  700,000  books  have  been  sent  overseas  by 
the  American  Library  Association  and  representatives 
of  the  Association  have  been  sent  to  France  to  arrange 
for  the  supplying  of  books  to  the  American  Expedi- 
tionary Forces  through  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  or  the  Red 
Cross,  the  book  service  has  taken  on  a  different  com- 
plexion. In  the  fall  of  1917,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  established 
library  sections  under  its  educational  department  and 
the  Red  Cross  under  its  recreation  department.  There 
are  now  some  thirty  Y.  M.  C.  A.  districts  and  over 
two  hundred  and  fifty  huts.  The  American  Library 
Association  will  serve  the  "fit "  through  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
and  the  "unfit"  through  the  Red  Cross.  This  scheme 
was  characterized  by  General  Pershing  as  commend- 
able and  the  service  as  welcome,  and  he  expressed  the 
desire  "that  there  should  not  be  any  competition  in 
supplying  this  matter  to  the  troops,  but  that  the  work 
should  be  centralized  in  the  American  Library  Associa- 
tion." 

At  the  request  of  General  Pershing  the  Government 
granted  the  A.  L.  A.  space  for  fifty  tons  of  books  per 
month  on  the  transports.  This  means  more  than  a 
million  volumes  a  year.  General  Pershing  also  granted 
franking  privileges  on  all  A.  L.  A.  mail  parcels  in 
France,  —  a  special  recognition  of  the  value  placed  on 
Library  War  Service. 

The  Navy  carries  its  quota  of  books  on  its  supply 
ships  to  certain  bases  for  distribution  to  the  vessels 
and  stations.  The  American  Red  Cross  allows  a  part 
of  its  tonnage  for  books  consigned  to  hospitals,  and 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretaries  traveling  on  troop  ships 
take  over  quite  a  number  of  books  which  are  used  en 


THE     WORK     OVERSEAS  63 

route  and  then  assembled  as  the  boats  reach  port. 
The  books  are  packed  in  strongly  made  unit  boxes,  with 
screwed  lids  and  a  central  shelf.  These  boxes  hold 
about  sixty  volumes  each  and  when  stacked  they  serve 
as  a  sectional  book-case.  On  or  above  the  cases  is  a 
placard  headed: 

WAR  SERVICE  LIBRARY 

PROVIDED  BY  THE 

PEOPLE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

THROUGH  THE 

AMERICAN  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION 

Then  follows  a  statement  regarding  the  free  service 
and  a  few  simple  rules,  concluding  with  this  sentiment: 

These  books  come  to  us  overseas  from  home. 

To  read  them  is  a  privilege. 

To  restore  them  promptly  unabused  a  duty. 

(Signed)    John  J.  Pershing 

Vice  Admiral  Sims  assures  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
that  full  recognition  is  given  the  great  value  of  the 
Association's  services  "in  increasing  the  contentment 
of  our  forces"  and  that  its  "efforts  in  this  respect 
will  be  appreciated  by  many  thousands  of  men  over 
here." 

The  Director  of  the  American  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
Club  characterized  the  Library  War  Service  as  "one 
of  the  finest  things  which  this  war  has  called  forth 
from  our  own  country  and  the  books  which  you  have 
sent  to  the  American  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  club  both 
in  Paris  and  at  Tours  have  been  eagerly  and  profitably 
read  by  hundreds  of  our  men.  They  have  been  a  real 
contribution  to  our  libraries." 


64      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Dr.  M.  Llewellyn  Raney,  Director  of  the  A.  L.  A. 
Overseas  Service,  went  out  to  sea  in  the  flagship  of  a 
convoying  fleet  in  its  work  down  the  French  coast, 
and  had  an  opportunity  of  mingling  with  the  men. 
In  the  crowded  quarters  under  deck  he  saw  a  dozen 
of  them  lying  in  their  bunks  reading.  Many  of  them 
had  fastened  soap  boxes  on  the  side  of  the  hull,  opposite 
their  narrow  beds,  to  serve  as  book  racks.  "The 
opportunity  was  there  and  the  desire  was  not  lacking," 
says  Dr.  Raney.  "The  body  was  constrained  but  the 
mind  was  eager  to  wander."  They  wanted  travel, 
adventures  of  the  sea,  stirring  western  fiction  and 
good  war  stories.  They  called  for  Empey,  Jack 
London,  Zane  Grey,  Ralph  Connor,  Stanley  Weyman, 
Joseph  Conrad,  Kipling,  Stevenson,  and  some  French 
textbooks.  They  knew  what  they  wanted  and  what 
they  did  not  want,  —  specifying  religious  books, 
though  they  confessed  that  there  was  one  chap  who 
did  a  lot  of  such  reading  and  who  had  distinguished 
himself  by  keeping  clear  of  their  pet  vices. 

In  the  zone  of  advance  the  unit  of  library  service  is 
the  Division,  no  matter  over  how  wide  an  area  it 
may  be  spread,  nor  through  how  many  villages  it  may 
extend.  While  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  K.  of  C,  or  the 
Salvation  Army  aims  to  get  a  hut  in  at  least  the  chief 
villages,  the  A.  L.  A.  plans  to  send  its  books  to  the 
divisional  center  from  which  they  can  be  properly 
distributed.  When  the  division  moves,  the  books  can 
be  returned  to  the  central  warehouse  of  the  organiza- 
tion through  which  the  books  are  being  circulated, 
unless  the  area  is  being  abandoned.  "Wastage,  of 
course,  there  must  be,"  says  Dr.  Raney,  "but  the  loss 
is  not  absolute,  as  long  as  a  worthy  volume  remains  in 
somebody's  possession." 


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26.   LIBRARY   WAR   SERVICE   IN  FRANCE 

Upper:   Circulating  A.  L.  A.  books  in  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hut 
Lower:  Stockroom,  A.  L.  A.  headquarters,  Paris 


THE     WORK    OVERSEAS  65 

At  Aix-les-Bains,  the  recreation  center  for  the 
army,  where  there  is  boating,  base-ball  and  athletic 
"meets,"  Lieutenant  Europe's  famous  band  and  a 
theater,  the  A.  L.  A.  will  have  a  well-rounded  collec- 
tion of  books  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s  casino,  with  a 
trained  librarian  in  charge. 

Mr.  Burton  E.  Stevenson,  European  representative 
of  the  American  Library  Association,  wrote  from 
Paris  in  July,  19 18,  that  the  work  there  was  developing 
in  a  most  interesting  way.  The  half  million  of  books 
that  had  been  sent  to  France  were  being  distributed 
in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  huts,  in  the  hospitals  and  among 
the  various  detached  units  where  they  were  most 
needed.  At  the  time  he  wrote  they  were  outfitting 
each  of  the  fighting  divisions.  In  addition  to  the 
books  being  sent  over  on  the  A.  L.  A.  allotment  of 
tonnage,  they  were  also  going  on  the  transports  in 
care  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretaries  and  on  the  Red 
Cross  tonnage.  The  Army  put  up  a  warehouse  for 
the  A.  L.  A.  at  one  of  the  inland  receiving  stations 
where  the  books  sent  over  on  the  Association's  own 
tonnage  can  be  properly  taken  care  of.  The  Fourth 
of  July  was  fittingly  celebrated  by  delivering  a  unit  of 
seventy-five  books  to  be  placed  on  each  of  the  American 
hospital  trains  in  France,  and  as  rapidly  as  possible 
selected  collections  are  being  placed  in  each  of  the 
base  and  camp  hospitals  for  the  use  of  the  boys  who 
have  been  sent  down  from  the  front  lines.  Requests 
for  books  of  all  kinds  have  come  in  from  the  soldiers. 
The  aim  is  to  furnish  any  books  that  the  men  may 
want,  whether  standard  reference  books,  the  latest 
technical  publications  of  interest  to  the  various 
branches  of  the  service,  or  standard  fiction.  If  not  to 
be  had  in  France  or  England,  the  books  will  be 
ordered  from  the  United  States. 


66      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Dr.  Raney  found  the  promise  of  American  books 
greeted  everywhere  with  enthusiasm.  "The  men," 
said  he,  "did  not  like  the  English  substitutes  which 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  felt  compelled  to  use.  Besides, 
the  London  market  was  going  dry  and  prices  were 
advancing.  Editions  were  not  being  reprinted,  owing 
to  shortness  of  paper  and  labor.  Furthermore,  the 
great  British  organizations,  which  were  feeding  the 
British  armed  forces  on  a  huge  scale,  looked  with 
anxiety  on  American  competition,  so  that  a  moral 
issue  was  raised.  The  Red  Cross  was  so  desirous  of 
escaping  from  this  dilemma  that  it  offered  to  share  its 
present  tonnage  with  us  to  bring  over  American 
reading  material  for  our  hospitals  in  Europe.  Indeed, 
under  this  arrangement,  we  have  made  an  initial 
shipment  of  26,000  volumes  to  France,  and  instructions 
have  been  issued  for  similar  dispatch  of  5ooo  volumes 
to  England,  with  regular  monthly  service  to  follow  in 
each  case. 

"The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  no  tonnage  to  spare,  but  it 
could  help  in  another  way.  Men  needed  books  en 
voyage.  The  military  authorities  consented  to  have 
us  put  boxes  on  transports  for  deck  usage.  The 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretaries  and  the  chaplains  agreed  to 
look  out  for  the  books  en  route,  to  re-box  and  deliver 
them  in  port.  Here  going  into  their  warehouses,  they 
would  be  subject  to  our  further  orders  for  distribution. 
While  there  has  been  an  enormous  amount  of  loss  in 
this  service,  and  we  are  consequently  in  negotiation 
with  Washington  for  a  change  of  method,  it  has  been 
immensely  popular,  and  thus  far  our  chief  source  of 
supply  overseas. 

"As  to  magazines,  we  have  proceeded  with  caution. 
Displacing,  as  we  have  so  largely,  the  library  work  of 


THE    WORK    OVERSEAS  67 

our  associates  otherwise,  we  have  hesitated  to  take 
over  also  the  magazine  service,  which  they  are  main- 
taining with  regularity  and  at  great  expense.  How- 
ever, we  have  made  a  beginning  by  inducing  a  certain 
number  of  publishers  to  turn  over  unsold  remainders 
to  us,  and  if  the  Burleson  sacks  are  to  resume  Overseas 
dispatch  and  get  effective  use,  we  shall  have  to  receive, 
sift  and  forward  them.  These  magazines  of  ours  are 
all  for  trench  usage,  non-returnable. 

"Thus  the  cycle  is  complete  from  training  camps 
in  the  United  States  to  troop  trains  (as  we  contemplate) 
and  transports,  from  port  to  the  front  and  back  to 
rest  station,  hospital  or  captivity;  with  the  naval 
units,  whether  ashore  or  at  sea,  from  the  British  Isles 
to  the  Mediterranean,  we  follow  the  flag. 

"Complete,  did  I  say?  Not  till  the  boys  get  home 
again.  The  war  is  going  to  end  one  of  these  days,  but 
repatriation  will  take  a  year  or  two.  To  combat  the 
perils  of  reaction  and  to  prepare  for  civilian  life,  the 
army  is  to  be  put  to  school  during  that  period.  We 
have  our  eyes  already  on  that  wonderful  opportunity. 

"And  then,  France,  glorious  France,  blood-redeemed, 
has  heard  of  the  American  public  library,  which, 
finding  literal  translation  inadequate,  it  dignifies  with 
the  sobriquet,  Maison  de  Tous,  The  People's  House. 
A  great  organization  headed  by  the  President  of  the 
Republic,  planning  for  the  social  reconstruction  of 
France  after  the  war,  has  decided  to  transplant  this 
unique  institution  and  make  it  the  center  of  the  plan. 
Our  aid  is  asked.    Who  can  foresee  the  result?" 

BOOKS   AND   MORALS 

A  year  ago  in  London,  a  man  originally  from  New 
York  state  came  up  and  spoke  to  me  as  a  fellow 


68      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

American.  He  wore  the  garb  of  a  Canadian  officer. 
After  I  had  answered  his  query  as  to  what  I  was 
doing  in  England,  he  said:  "My  work  is  rather  dif- 
ferent. I  am  looking  after  the  social  evil  and 
venereal  diseases  in  the  Canadian  Army." 

"Then  you  are  a  medical  man?" 

"No,"  said  he,  "I  tried  to  get  my  English  medical 
friends  to  take  hold  of  the  work,  but  they  said  that 
they  had  their  reputations  to  look  after.  I  have  no  repu- 
tation to  lose.     I  am  simply  a  Unitarian  clergyman." 

What  followed  is  not  germane  to  our  subject,  but  in 
discussing  the  soldiers'  reading  he  said  that  he  was 
constantly  surprised  at  the  high  class  of  the  books 
which  the  boys  bought  when  they  came  up  to  London. 

On  another  occasion,  I  was  discussing  with  the  wife 
of  an  American  physician  long  resident  in  London,  the 
remarkable  vogue  enjoyed  by  Brieux's  plays,  —  "The 
Three  Daughters  of  M.  Dupont"  and  "Damaged 
Goods"  had  been  running  for  months.  "Yes,"  she 
said,  "they  kept  out  his  'Damaged  Goods'  as  long  as 
they  could,  but  now  both  that  and  Ibsen's  'Ghosts' 
are  being  given  to  crowded  houses.  The  censor  used 
to  be  'nasty  nice  and  dirty  particular'  about  certain 
things,  as  my  maid  once  said  of  her  former  employer." 

That  phrase  describes  fitly  though  inelegantly  the 
attitude  of  only  too  many  people  towards  a  subject 
which  refuses  to  be  kept  in  the  background  —  especially 
in  war  time.  The  camp  libraries  are  doing  their  bit 
in  educating  the  men  in  morals  and  sex  hygiene  by 
providing  carefully  selected  books  on  these  subjects. 
Lectures  by  men  attached  to  various  organizations 
also  touch  on  these  topics. 

While  reading  Dr.  Exner's  little  pamphlet,  "Friend 
or  Enemy,"  of  which  a  million  and  a  half  copies  have 


Upper:    ©  Committee  on  Public  1  nformation  Lower:    ©  International  Film  Service 

27.    Upper:   From  cotton  fields  to  khaki.      Colored  stevedores,  for 
whom  their  Chaplain  solicited  A.  L.  A.  books 

Lower:   American  Sailors  in  the  reading  room  of  one  of  their  clubs  in 

England 


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THE     WORK    OVERSEAS  69 

been  circulated,  an  18-year-old  Michigan  boy  was 
jeered  at  by  his  corporal,  who  with  a  sneer  said,  "Oh, 
you'll  be  going  along  with  the  bunch  before  long." 
Quietly  the  lad  replied,  "That's  all  right,  corporal, 
but  I've  a  mother,  four  sisters  and  a  sweetheart  back 
home,  and  I'm  proud  of  it.  Believe  me,  I'm  going 
back  to  them  just  as  clean  as  I  came  out." 

An  officer  wrote  in  to  the  American  Library  Associa- 
tion Headquarters  recently  on  behalf  of  i,35q  negro 
soldiers,  comprising  a  stevedore  regiment  of  the  Na- 
tional Army,  stationed  at  a  certain  overseas  port. 
In  making  a  request  for  from  ybo  to  1,000  books,  he 
was  speaking  for  the  other  officers  of  the  regiment, 
all  of  whom  are  white : 

"Astounding  as  the  statement  may  sound  to  you, 
a  whole  lot  of  reading  matter  is  needed  in  this  outfit 
to  cut  down  venereal  diseases.  I  do  not  refer  to 
treatises  on  these  diseases,  because  we  do  not  want 
books  of  this  sort.  We  want  books  that  will  keep 
the  minds  of  men  employed  in  other  ways.  Two 
months  of  very  careful  study  along  this  line  has  con- 
vinced me  that  this  matter  of  books  is  one  of  the  best 
ways  to  combat  a  very  distressing  social  condition 
that  exists  all  over  France. 

"A  word  of  explanation.  We  have  at  this  base  — 
and  they  are  here  for  the  duration  of  the  War  — 
nearly  3ooo  colored  men,  about  one-third  of  whom 
cannot  read  or  write.  We  want  the  books,  first  of  all, 
for  these  men  who  can  read  them.  These  men  are 
only  a  few  months,  at  most,  from  cotton  fields  to 
khaki.  They  are  among  a  strange  people,  who  speak 
a  language  unintelligible  to  them  and  the  only  reading 
matter  they  can  find  in  large  amounts  is  that  found  in 
publications  typical  of  the  life  of  the  half-world  .  .  . 


70      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

"As  regimental  censor,  reading  their  letters  home, 
and  thrown  into  close  contact  with  them,  I  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  books  will  keep  them  in  camp. 
Not  at  any  time  in  my  life  have  I  been  so  made  to 
realize  the  meaning  of  the  expression  'thirsting  for 
knowledge. '  These  colored  men  from  the  rural  South 
do.  By  begging,  borrowing  and  buying,  I  have 
corralled  all  the  English  books  in  this  vicinity  that  are 
worth  while  and  I  have  n3  books  that  I  think  should 
be  placed  in  the  hands  of  these  1900  men.  These 
books  are  all  in  use,  seven  days  in  the  week.  But  we 
need  hundreds  more. 

'Two-thirds  of  the  organization  are  literates.  But 
they,  too,  are  subject  to  the  seductions  of  wine,  women 
and  certain  kinds  of  song,  all  of  which  are  affording 
them  new  and  very  injurious  experiences.  But  when 
they  get  hold  of  a  book  they  remain  in  camp  at  night, 
and  during  their  other  leisure  hours,  of  which  they 
have  many,  owing  to  the  exigencies  of  the  military 
service,  they  read  these  books,  and  what  is  of  more 
importance,  talk  about  them  and  discuss  the  things 
they  have  learned.  A  man  who  can  get  hold  of  a  book 
stays  at  home  and  reads  it,  soon  improves  in  the  matters 
of  dress  and  military  conduct  and  shows  improvement  in 
morals  and  self-respect.  These  are  elemental  things, 
almost  trite  expressions  with  us  at  home,  but  they 
are  very  real  to  us  at  this  permanent  base  in  the  line 
of  communications.  I  trust  you  see  the  need  I  am 
trying,  in  a  feeble  and  halting  way,  to  make  plain. 

"Now  I  do  not  expect  that  your  institution  shall 
mulct  itself  of  the  number  of  volumes  I  ask  for.  But 
I  hope  that  you  can  furnish  some  volumes  and  gather 
others  from  other  libraries  and  from  individuals,  acting 
as  the  collecting  and  selecting  center  and  forwarding 


THE   WORK   OVERSEAS  71 

them  to  us  when  the  collection  is  made.  We  want 
books  for  the  average  mind.  They  must  be  neither 
too  mature  nor  too  elementary;  stories  of  liaisons, 
blood  and  thunder  adventures  and  theological  contro- 
versies should  be  avoided.  Attractively  written  his- 
tories and  patriotic  romances  are  needed;  stories 
showing  love  of  country,  God  and  virtue  would  be  most 
welcome." 


II 

BRITISH  ORGANIZATIONS 


II.    BRITISH   ORGANIZATIONS 

I.     THE    BRITISH   WAR   LIBRARY 

THE  night  after  war  had  been  declared,  Mrs.  H. 
M.  Gaskell,  C.  B.  E.,  lay  awake  wondering  how 
she  could  best  help  in  the  coming  struggle. 
Recalling  how  much  a  certain  book  she  had  read 
during  a  recent  illness  had  meant  to  her,  she  realized 
the  value  of  providing  literature  for  the  sick  and 
wounded.  A  few  days  later  she  dined  with  some 
friends  and  talked  over  this  opportunity  for  service, 
with  the  result  that  Lady  Battersea  decided  to  lend 
Surrey  House,  Marble  Arch,  for  the  work.  Lord  Hal- 
dane,  who  was  War  Minister  at  the  time,  approved  the 
plan  officially,  and  Sir  Alfred  Sloggett,  then  head 
of  the  Royal  Army  Medical  Corps,  gave  his  official 
sanction.  The  work  was  no  sooner  under  way  than 
the  Admiralty  asked  whether  the  new  organization 
would  be  willing  to  supply  the  Navy,  the  sound 
men  as  well  as  the  sick.  Mrs.  Gaskell's  brother,  Mr. 
Beresford  Melville,  entered  into  the  work  with  enthu- 
siasm and  gave  it  financial  support. 

The  call  for  books  was  the  first  appeal  of  the  war, 
and  newspapers  were  glad  to  give  their  space  and 
support  free  to  the  letters  asking  for  reading  matter 
for  both  the  sick  and  wounded.  To  the  surprise  of 
the  organizers  not  only  parcels  and  boxes,  but  van- 
loads  of  books  were  delivered  to  Surrey  House.  Hastily 
improvised  bookcases  rose  quickly  to  the  ceilings  of 

75 


76      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

the  rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  then  up  the  wide  stair- 
way, filling  three  immense  rooms  and  crowding  the 
corridors.  It  was  impossible  for  the  overworked 
volunteers  to  keep  up  with  this  unexpected  volume 
of  gifts.  Dr.  C.  T.  Hagberg  Wright  of  the  London 
Library  was  appealed  to  and  when  he  came  to  Surrey 
House  and  saw  the  multitude  of  books,  he  decided  to 
call  upon  his  assistants.  With  five  of  his  staff  he  set 
to  work.  It  was  necessary  to  hire  empty  wagons  to 
stand  at  the  door  for  the  refuse,  of  which  there  was  a 
huge  quantity,  for  many  people  had  seized  this  as 
an  opportunity  to  clean  out  their  rubbish  piles  and 
credit  themselves  with  doing  a  charitable  turn  at  the 
same  time.  Old  parish  magazines  were  sent  in  by 
tens  of  thousands,  only  to  be  passed  on  to  the  waiting 
wagons.  To  offset  these,  however,  there  were  over 
a  million  well-selected  books,  including  rare  editions 
of  standard  authors.  The  latter  were  put  to  one  side 
for  sale  and  the  money  thus  received  was  invested 
in  the  kind  of  books  most  needed.  While  one  set  of 
helpers  was  unpacking,  another  was  sending  off  care- 
fully selected  boxes  of  books  to  small  permanent 
libraries  in  the  military  and  naval  hospitals  from  lists 
furnished  by  the  Admiralty  and  War  Office. 

The  permanent  hospitals  were  supplied  with  a 
library  before  the  wounded  arrived,  and  as  the  war 
area  expanded  the  War  Library  followed  with  litera- 
ture. Advertisements  were  inserted  in  American  and 
Canadian  newspapers  with  the  result  that  many  pub- 
lishers sent  most  acceptable  gifts  from  across  the  water. 
Later,  large  consignments  of  literature  came  from 
South  Africa,  Australia,  Madeira,  the  Canary  Islands, 
and  New  Zealand.  English  publishers  were  more 
than  generous.     One  publisher  sent   600  beautifully 


THE     BRITISH     WAR     LIBRARY         77 

printed  copies  of  six  of  the  best  novels  in  the  English 
language,  bound  in  dark  blue  and  red  washable  buck- 
ram. The  English  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  gave 
eighty  thousand  copies  of  little  khaki-covered  Gospels, 
printed  on  thin  paper  with  the  Red  Cross  or  the  Union 
Jack  decorating  the  cover. 

In  November,  191^,  the  Admiralty  asked  the  War 
Library  organization  to  supply  the  sailors  in  the  North 
Sea  Fleet  at  the  rate  of  a  book  a  man.  Not  only  was 
this  done,  but  boxes  of  books  were  sent  to  all  the  guards 
around  the  coasts  of  the  British  Isles,  the  Shetland 
and  Orkney  Isles,  and  the  West  Coast  of  Ireland. 
When  the  Camps  Library  was  organized  by  Sir  Ed- 
ward Ward  and  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Anstruther,  for  the 
strong  and  healthy  soldiers  in  camps  and  trenches, 
the  originators  of  the  War  Library  met  with  the 
promoters  of  the  new  scheme  and  discussed  a  division 
of  labor.  The  field  of  work  was  increasing  to  such 
an  extent  that  it  was  agreed  that  the  War  Library 
should  look  after  the  "unfit"  in  the  Army  and  Navy, 
while  the  new  organization  would  take  care  of  the 
"fit."  This  plan  has  worked  very  well,  but  alas!  as 
Mrs.  Gaskell  reports,  "as  the  wide-flung  battle-field 
extended,  the  supply  of  books  dwindled.  We  were 
in  despair.  The  papers,  filled  with  other  appeals, 
could  only  insert  ours  by  payment,  and  money,  too, 
had  become  very  scarce.  Meanwhile,  hospitals  in 
France  doubled.  Sick  in  Lemnos,  Malta,  Gallipoli, 
Egypt,  grew  in  numbers  to  an  alarming  extent;  books 
were  asked  for,  cabled  for,  demanded,  implored. 
Our  hearts  were  indeed  heavy-laden."  Relief  came 
through  the  action  of  Mr.  Herbert  Samuel,  then  Post- 
master General,  who,  after  paying  a  visit  to  the  camps 
and  seeing  life  in  the  trenches,  decided  that  the  Post 


78      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

Office  should  help  in  the  work  of  forwarding  reading 
material  for  the  men. 

Then  the  Red  Cross  and  Order  of  St.  John  was 
asked  to  affiliate  the  War  Library  scheme  with  its 
organization.  In  October,  191 5,  it  not  only  agreed 
to  do  this  but  became  financially  responsible  for  the 
undertaking,  the  promoters  of  the  latter  promising 
in  return  to  supply  the  literature  that  they  and  their 
hospitals  require  —  which  means  considerably  over 
200,000  books  and  magazines  a  year. 

When  the  beds  at  Gallipoli  were  being  rapidly  filled 
with  the  sick  and  wounded,  a  cable  would  come  to 
Surrey  House:  "Send  25,ooo  books  at  once,  light  and 
good  print."  Perhaps  the  day  before  Malta  had 
cabled  for  10,000  similar  books.  The  demand  seemed 
to  grow  by  leaps  and  bounds.  No  hospital  at  home 
or  abroad  asks  without  receiving  the  full  quota  re- 
quested. The  library  is  now  supplying  East  Africa, 
Bombay,  Mesopotamia,  Egypt,  Salonika,  and  Malta 
monthly  with  thousands  of  books  and  magazines. 
Fortnightly  parcels  go  to  the  hospitals  in  France  and 
to  the  Cross  Channel  Hospital  Service.  To-day  the 
organization  is  supplying  approximately  18 10  hospitals 
in  Great  Britain,  262  in  France,  58  naval  hospitals,  and 
70  hospital  ships.  The  transport  hospital  ships  are 
replenished  every  voyage. 

Those  whom  typhoid  and  dysentery  had  weakened 
were  not  able  to  hold  books  at  all,  and  needed  pictures 
instead.  Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling  had  foreseen  this  need 
and  asked  those  in  charge  to  supply  strong  brown 
paper  scrapbooks  filled  but  not  crowded  with  pictures. 
His  suggestion  was  immediately  adopted.  These  scrap- 
books  are  made  from  sheets  43  X  27  inches,  folded 
three  times,  forming  a  book  of  sixteen  pages,  about 


THE     BRITISH     WAR     LIBRARY  79 

i4  X  11  inches,  tied  together  at  the  back  with  a  bow 
of  bright  ribbon.  On  the  outside  an  attractive  colored 
picture  is  pasted.  The  inside  pages  are  filled  with 
entertaining  pictures,  both  in  black  and  white  and  in 
color,  interspersed  with  little  jokes,  anecdotes,  and 
very  short  stories  from  such  weeklies  as  Punch,  London 
Opinion,  and  Answers.  Short  poems  are  found  to 
be  acceptable  space-fillers.  Comic  postcards  are 
used,  but  no  Christmas  cards.  Pictures  are  always 
placed  straight  before  the  eye  so  that  the  invalid 
may  not  have  to  turn  the  scrapbook  around  in  order 
to  see  them,  for  many  a  patient  is  too  weak  even  to 
lift  his  hand,  and  must  await  the  coming  of  a  nurse 
in  order  to  know  what  the  next  page  has  in  store  for 
him.  Volunteer  makers  of  these  aids  to  cheer  are 
urged  to  remember  that  they  are  for  grown  men, 
not  for  children.  They  have  been  furnished  in  large 
numbers  by  a  generous  public,  and  have  been  found 
invaluable.  Fresh  scrapbooks  are  supplied  to  the 
hospital  ships  each  voyage.  A  young  soldier,  just 
recovering  from  typhoid,  came  to  the  War  Library 
on  his  return  from  Egypt  and  was  asked  to  look  about 
and  tell  what  he  would  have  liked  best  during  his 
convalescence.  "I  was  too  tired  to  read,"  said  he, 
"but  I  would  have  given  a  lot  for  one  of  those  pic- 
ture-books." This  type  of  convalescent  can  use 
games  to  advantage  and  so  the  War  Library  has 
started  a  Games  Department.  There  is  a  never- 
ceasing  demand  for  playing  cards,  dominoes,  draughts; 
and  good  jigsaw  puzzles  —  even  with  a  few  pieces 
missing.  Anything  that  can  be  packed  flat  is 
acceptable. 

As  to  the  kind  of  books  the  soldiers  ask  for,  let  us 
have   Mrs.   Gaskell's  experience  in  her  own  words: 


80      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

"Perhaps  your  eyes  will  be  opened,  as  mine  were, 
to  new  worlds  of  literature,"  said  she  when  inter- 
viewed on  the  subject.  "I  confess  I  was  quite  ig- 
norant of  these  books  before  the  war.  They  are 
exciting,  absorbing,  sensational.  Detective  stories 
are  shouted  for;  so  is  the  'Bull-dog  Breed,'  'The 
Red  Seal'  and  'The  Adventure'  series;  and  all  sorts 
of  penny  novelettes.  Of  course,  all  sevenpenny, 
sixpenny,  and  shilling  editions  are  invaluable  from 
their  handy  size  and  good  print.  And  now  for  the 
favorite  authors.  They  are  nearly  all  in  the  sixpenny 
and  sevenpenny  series,  and  come  in  grand  procession 
of  favor,  Nat  Gould,  Jack  London,  Rudyard  Kipling, 
William  LeQueux,  Ridgwell  Cullum,  Charles  Garvice, 
Guy  Boothby,  A.  Conan  Doyle,  W.  W.  Jacobs,  Flor- 
ence Barclay,  Ian  Hay,  Cutcliffe  Hyne,  'Q,'  John 
Oxenham,  H.  A.  Vachell,  Edgar  Wallace,  Rider  Hag- 
gard, Dumas,  and  Robert  Louis  Stevenson.  All 
these,  multiplied  ten  thousand  times  by  the  printing 
press,  go  out  to  cheer  the  men-folk  in  their  suffering 
and  convalescence.  They  are  a  party  of  perpetual 
entertainers  who  make  laughter  and  romance  to  spring 
up  from  the  battle  dust.  They  are  balm  and  gladness. 
"All  detective  stories  —  good  detective  stories  — 
are  hailed  with  joy.  Sherlock  Holmes  is  a  physician 
—  remember  that.  But  lest  you  feel  that  this  ephem- 
eral class  of  books  is  all  that  is  asked  for,  I  must  say 
that  poetry  is  in  demand,  and,  as  you  will  see  later, 
the  immortals  are  wooed  down  from  their  Olympian 
heights  to  make  cheer  among  mortals.  The  first 
and  second  sixpenny  series  of  the  'Hundred  Best 
Poems'  go  out  in  generous  instalments;  so  do  the 
'Hundred  Best  Love  Poems.'  Shakespeare,  greatest 
of  patriots,  visits  the  hospitals  —  he  is  ever  young, 


THE     BRITISH     WAR     LIBRARY         8r 

though  three  hundred  years  old — but  we  prefer  him  in 
single  plays;  a  complete  volume  is  too  bulky,  perhaps 
too  formidable.  A  book  must  not  be  too  formidable 
or  sombre  to  look  at;  it's  like  a  cyclist  with  a  long  hill 
in  front  of  him  —  the  sight  makes  him  tired. 

"There's  a  demand  among  the  men  for  handbooks 
on  trade-handicraft  subjects;  and  maps,  such  as  the 
Strand  War  Map,  are  most  acceptable.  I  know  a 
gentleman  whose  leisure  moments  are  filled  by  turning 
over  the  leaves  of  Bradshaw.  He  enjoys  it  thoroughly; 
it's  like  counting  the  beads  on  a  rosary;  station  after 
station  will  remind  him  of  journeyings  to  and  fro 
in  the  land  and  bring  back  adventures  winch  made 
them  memorable  to  him.  Well,  I  suppose  it  is  in 
that  manner  that  the  wounded  soldiers  enjoy  maps 
—  and  naturally  they  like  to  follow  the  war  from  their 
resting  beds. 

"As  for  the  officers,  they  ask  for  new  six  shilling 
novels  and  all  kinds  of  lighter  biographies,  what 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson  calls  'heroic  gossip.'  Here 
are  particular  books  which  I  may  name:  'Garibaldi 
and  the  Thousand'  (Trevelyan),  'Beatrice  d'Este' 
(Miss  Cartwright),  and  'Portraits  and  Sketches' 
(Edmund  Gosse).  Travel  books  of  all  sorts  are 
acclaimed;  so,  too,  are  the  light-to-hold  editions  of 
Thackeray,  Dickens,  E.  A.  Poe,  Kipling  and  Meredith. 
The  reviews  are  appreciated,  especially  Blackwood's, 
The  English  Review  and  the  Cornhill.  These  are 
priceless  for  the  sick."  1 

1  Ian  Hay  pictures  the  mess  after  dinner,  the  day  that  a  heavy  and 
long  over-due  mail  had  been  found  waiting  at  St.  Gregoire.  "Letters 
had  been  devoured  long  ago.  Now,  each  member  of  the  mess  leaned 
back  in  his  chair,  straightened  his  weary  legs  under  the  table,  and 
settled  down,  cigar  in  mouth,  to  the  perusal  of  the  Spectator  or  the 
Taller,  according  to  rank  and  literary  taste." 


82      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

Mrs.  Gaskell  says  that  the  workers  are  encouraged 
to  renewed  effort  by  the  countless  letters  they  receive 
from  all  over  the  war  area.  "I  don't  know  how  we 
should  live  without  your  books,"  writes  one  wounded 
soldier.  "I  am  just  waiting  until  my  pal  has  finished 
to  get  hold  of  his  book,"  writes  another.  "We  have 
no  books,"  is  the  appeal  of  an  isolated  group  of  wounded 
in  Egypt.  "All  we  have  had  to  read  here  was  a  scrap 
of  the  advertisement  page  of  a  newspaper  picked  up 
on  the  desert,  and  on  it  we  saw  that  you  send  books 
to  sick  and  wounded.  Please  hurry  up  and  send 
some.     The  flies  are  awful." 

An  officer  in  charge  of  a  Casualty  Clearing  Hospital 
writes  of  the  great  joy  in  camp  when  he  distributed 
the  contents  of  a  parcel  among  the  patients.  Every 
man  in  the  hospital  had  something  to  read  and  for 
many  hours  the  monotony  of  hospital  life  was  greatly 
relieved.  A  popular  paper-bound  novel  by  Nat  Gould 
lasts  less  than  a  week.  The  men  hide  it  for  fear  of 
its  being  taken  away.  They  pass  it  surreptitiously  to 
a  comrade  in  the  next  bed,  or  carry  it  in  their  pockets 
like  a  treasure  trove.  It  is  literally  read  to  pieces 
and  in  a  week  there  is  sure  to  be  a  request  for  another 
Nat  Gould  —  a  writer  probably  unknown  to  American 
librarians,  but  of  whose  books,  we  are  told  by  the 
publisher,  over  twelve  million  copies  have  been  sold. 
According  to  the  Athenaeum,  he  is  the  most  popular 
of  living  writers,  and  among  the  great  of  the  past, 
Dumas  alone  surpasses  him  in  popularity.  His  pub- 
lisher, Mr.  John  Long,  says  that  no  sooner  did  the 
first  of  the  American  troops  take  up  their  post  in 
France  than  some  Tommy  whispered  surreptitiously, 
"Hey !  'ave  you  got  a  Nat  Gould? "  "We  don't  smoke 
them  in  America,"  the  Yankee  whispered  back,  apolo- 


THE     BRITISH    WAR     LIBRARY         83 

getically.  '  I  can  let  you  have  a  Fatima!"  "Aw,  go 
on!  Nat  Gould  ain't  a  cigarette,  he's  the  greatest 
living  British  author!" 

In  January,  191 7,  a  New  Books  Department  was 
opened  in  connection  with  the  War  Library.  To 
provide  the  necessary  accommodations  the  servants' 
quarters  and  stables  of  Surrey  House  were  utilized. 
Each  room  is  filled  with  a  particular  class  of  reading 
matter  —  as  novels,  books  of  travel,  religious  books, 
magazines.  A  recent  report  shows  that  in  one  month 
77,000  new  books  and  i4,ooo  magazines  were  pur- 
chased. This  important  and  difficult  phase  of  the 
work  is  in  charge  of  an  American  woman  —  Miss 
Knobloch,  sister  of  Edward  Knobloch,  the  playwright. 

Owing  to  the  shortage  of  paper  in  England,  the 
publishers  cannot  supply  all  the  orders  sent  in  by  the 
War  Library  and  Mrs.  Gaskell  is  now  organizing  a 
house-to-house  visitation  in  the  various  English  towns. 

"I  received  the  book  you  have  so  kindly  sent  me 
on  practical  gas  fitting  and  thank  you  very  much  for 
same,"  writes  one  who  had  put  in  a  special  request. 
"It  deals  with  everything  you  could  wish  to  know 
on  the  subject.  I  am  sure  it  will  be  a  great  help  to 
me  when  the  time  comes  for  my  discharge  from  the 
Army." 

When  the  secretaries  hear  of  a  new  hospital,  a  card 
is  sent  asking  whether  books  are  desired.  At  the 
same  time  an  index  card  is  made  on  which  the  date 
of  inquiry  is  entered.  An  inquiry  card  is  also  sent  to 
a  hospital  that  has  not  used  books  for  six  months. 

The  organization  must  be  well  thought  out  or  else 
a  Tommy  Atkins  hospital  in  Mesopotamia  will  get 
the  parcel  intended  for  an  officers'  hospital  on  the 
Riviera.     "The  selectors  must  have  intellectual  sym- 


84      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

pathies,"  says  Mrs.  Gaskell,  "and  human  sympathies. 
They  must  send  a  parcel  to  a  general  hospital  that 
contains  Masefield's  'Prose  Selections'  and  a  large 
sprinkling  of  the  'Bull-dog  Breed'  series.  Some- 
times as  I  touch  the  books  and  send  them  speeding 
on  their  way,  I  think  of  the  strange  company  travel- 
ing to  a  still  stranger  fate.  Boswell  and  Pepys,  Nick 
Carter  detective  stories,  the  Bible,  Nat  Gould,  Words- 
worth's Prelude,  Famous  Boxers,  the  Koran,  Miss 
Austen,  Mark  Twain,  Marie  Corelli,  Macaulay,  Lon- 
don Opinion,  the  Round  Table,  go  side  by  side  to  be 
read  —  by  whom?  All  we  know  is  that  those  brave 
souls  find  their  comfort  and  consolation  in  reading, 
for  they  tell  us  so  and  ask  for  more.  Suffering,  weari- 
ness, loneliness,  depression,  weakness,  fear  of  death 
—  most  of  us  have  known  one  or  the  other.  But 
these  brave  hearts  know  one  and  all;  still  worse,  the 
fear  sometimes  of  inaction  for  life.  Only  books  can 
make  them  forget  for  a  few  minutes,  an  hour  perhaps. 
I  cannot  ask  for  books  with  thoughts  in  my  heart  like 
these;  they  ask,  and  surely  they  will  not  ask  in  vain." 


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From  Punch  (by  permission) 

3a.   OWING  TO  A  SCARCITY  OF  LITERARY  MATTER  AT 
THE  FRONT,  THE  RRITISH  SOLDIERS  WERE  SOME- 
TIMES REDUCED  TO  TELLING  STORIES 
Private  Jones:    "And  she  says,  'Oh!   wot  blinkin'  great  eyes  you 
'ave,  Grandmother!'     And  the  wolf,  'e  says,  'All  the  better  ter  see 
yer  wiv,  my  dear' " 


THE     BRITISH     CAMPS     LIBRARY      85 


2.    THE   BRITISH   CAMPS   LIBRARY 

The  Camps  Library  owes  its  origin  to  the  desire 
of  the  English  to  prepare  in  every  way  for  the  arrival 
of  their  oversea  brethren  who  were  coming  to  join 
the  Imperial  Army.  The  various  contingents  were 
to  be  encamped  on  Salisbury  Plain  —  a  place  admi- 
rably adapted  for  military  concentration  and  training 
but  without  any  opportunities  for  recreation.  Colonel 
Sir  Edward  Ward  was  asked  by  Lord  Kitchener  to 
undertake  the  general  care  of  the  contingents  from 
the  colonies.  Sir  Edward  suggested  that,  among 
other  things  needed  for  the  troops,  libraries  be  es- 
tablished for  their  use.  The  War  Office  approved,  and 
the  Hon.  Mrs.  Anstruther  undertook  the  organization 
of  the  work.  An  appeal  to  the  public  was  made 
through  the  press  for  books  and  magazines  to  lighten 
the  monotony  of  the  long  autumn  and  winter  even- 
ings of  the  soldiers  encamped  on  Salisbury  Plain. 
The  3o,ooo  books  asked  for  were  quickly  secured. 
The  Association  of  Publishers  sent  a  large  contribution 
of  suitable  literature.  The  books  and  magazines  as 
received  were  sorted  and  labeled  as  the  property  of 
the  Overseas  Library. 

When  it  became  known  that  the  Australian  and 
New  Zealand  contingents  would  not  land  in  Eng- 
land, but  would  disembark  in  Egypt,  it  became  nec- 
essary to  divide  the  books  for  the  Canadians  from 
those  for  the  Australians  and  New  Zealanders.  Special 
tents  fitted  with  rough  shelving  and  tables  were  pro- 
vided in  the  camps  of  the  Canadian  soldiers.  On 
the  arrival  of  the  contingent,  the  chaplains  under- 
took the  care  and  distribution  of  the  books.     The 


86      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

desire  of  those  who  had  given  them  was  that  every 
facility  should  be  aiforded  the  men  in  obtaining  them, 
and  that  no  stringent  restrictions  should  be  imposed 
on  the  loans.  The  charging  system  was  a  simple 
one:  a  manuscript  book  in  which  each  man  wrote 
the  name  of  the  book  borrowed,  the  date  on  which 
borrowed  and  his  signature,  the  entry  being  erased 
on  its  return.  "We  found  that  our  labors  had  the 
reward  for  which  we  worked  and  hoped,"  wrote  Sir 
Edward.  "The  oversea  soldier  is  an  omnivorous 
reader,  and  we  had  the  gratification  of  learning  that 
our  efforts  to  lighten  the  dreary  evening  hours  were 
very  deeply  appreciated."  Mrs.  Gaskell  also  com- 
ments on  the  curiously  different  appetite  for  books 
shown  by  the  overseas  contingent,  remarking  that 
the  Canadians  have  an  insatiable  desire  for  books 
of  reference,  as  evidenced  by  three  requests  from 
Colonial  Hospitals  asking  for  the  Encyclopedia 
Britannica  in  forty  volumes  —  all  of  which  were  duly 
granted. 

Large  quantities  of  books  and  magazines  were 
forwarded  to  the  Australians  and  New  Zealanders  in 
Egypt.  Then  a  much  larger  enterprise  was  launched: 
the  provision  of  libraries  for  the  camps  of  the  Terri- 
torial and  New  Armies  all  over  the  United  Kingdom. 
Troops  were  quartered  in  camps  and  at  detached 
stations  far  from  towns  and  healthful  amusements. 
These  men  were  as  much  in  need  of  good  reading 
matter  as  the  soldiers  on  Salisbury  Plain.  A  large 
empty  warehouse  was  lent  through  the  kindness  of  the 
representative  of  the  Belgian  Army  in  London.  This 
was  equipped  with  shelves  and  tables  and  a  further 
appeal  was  made  to  the  public  through  the  press,  by 
letters  to  Lord-lieutenants  and  other  leaders  in  the  vari- 


THE     BRITISH     CAMPS     LIBRARY      87 

ous  countries,  to  Lord  Mayors  and  Mayors  and  again 
to  the  publishers.  Circulars  were  sent  to  all  General 
Officers  commanding  and  the  Officers'  Commanding 
Units,  informing  them  of  the  new  undertaking,  and 
that  preparations  had  been  made  to  give  them  books 
and  magazines  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  every  six 
men  of  their  strength  at  a  small  charge  sufficient  to 
pay  for  the  cost  of  packing  and  the  labor  of  the  work- 
ing staff  which  it  was  found  necessary  to  employ,  as 
warehousemen  and  the  like. 

The  supply  of  books  was  ample  at  first,  but  with 
success  came  increased  demands  from  troops  in  every 
part  of  the  United  Kingdom,  and  it  became  necessary 
to  search  out  fresh  fields  from  which  new  supplies 
might  be  gathered.  Then  came  the  realization  that 
there  was  a  need  of  books  and  magazines  by  men  in 
the  trenches  and  in  the  convalescent  and  rest  camps 
at  the  front  which  was  even  more  urgent  than  that 
of  the  troops  at  home.  "When  it  is  recognized,"  says 
Sir  Edward,  "that  in  the  trenches  only  one-fourth  of 
the  men  are  actively  on  duty  watching  the  enemy, 
while  the  remaining  three-fourths  are  concealed  at  the 
bottom  of  the  trenches  with  their  field  of  vision  limited 
to  a  few  yards  of  earth,  it  may  well  at  once  be  real- 
ized how  important  to  them  are  any  methods  of  enliv- 
ening the  long,  weary  hours  of  waiting."  Consequently 
a  system  was  organized  by  which,  once  a  month,  boxes 
were  sent  to  every  unit  in  the  Expeditionary  Force, 
the  number  of  books  being  proportioned  to  the  number 
of  men,  200  books  to  a  battalion.  Bales  were  also 
made  up  for  the  use  of  men  on  trains  and  transports. 

Then  the  post  offices  throughout  the  country  be- 
came collecting  depots  for  the  Camps  Library.  Those 
wishing  to  send  books  or  maps  to  the  soldiers  and 


88      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

sailors  need  only  hand  them  unaddressed,  unwrapped 
and  unstamped,  over  the  counter  of  any  post  office, 
and  they  are  forwarded  free  of  charge  to  headquarters 
for  sorting,  labeling  and  shipping  to  the  troops.  Some 
magazines  print  prominently  on  their  outside  cover  a 
reminder  of  the  fact  that  the  reader,  when  he  has 
finished  with  the  number,  can  send  it  to  the  troops 
by  leaving  it  without  any  formality  or  expense  at 
the  nearest  post  office.  On  account  of  the  shortage 
of  staff  and  because  this  work  is  not  strictly  post 
office  business,  receipts  are  not  given  for  books  and 
magazines  received  in  this  manner,  but  the  post 
office  staff  are  keenly  interested  in  the  scheme  and 
make  the  proper  disposal  of  literature  handed  in  a 
matter  of  personal  pride  and  honor. 

The  literature  sent  in  is  distributed  according  to 
an  agreed  proportion  of  bags  to  the  London  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  the  British  and  Foreign  Sailors' 
Association  for  the  use  of  the  Navy;  to  the  British 
Red  Cross  and  Order  of  St.  John  War  Library  for  the 
use  of  hospitals  and  hospital  ships;  the  bulk  goes 
to  the  Camps  Library,  which  since  the  beginning  of 
the  war  has  dealt  with  over  ten  million  publications. 
The  Camps  Library  alone  requires  75,000  pieces 
weekly  to  meet  the  ordinary  minimum  needs  from 
the  various  seats  of  war,  and  it  is  ready  and  eager  to 
deal  with  as  many  more  as  the  public  will  give.  Es- 
pecially in  winter  the  demand  for  "something  to  read" 
in  training  and  rest  camps,  as  well  as  from  those  at 
the  front,  far  exceeds  the  supply. 

"I  understand  most  fully,"  wrote  Sir  Douglas 
Haig,  "the  value  of  readable  books  to  men  who  are 
out  of  the  line,  with  time  on  their  hands,  and  little 
opportunity  of  getting  anything  of  the  sort  for  them- 


THE     BRITISH     CAMPS     LIBRARY      89 

selves.  I  need  say  nothing  to  support  the  claim  of 
those  who  are  wounded  or  convalescent.  The  Camps 
Library  exists  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  books  and 
magazines  for  distribution  to  our  sailors  and  soldiers. 
The  demand  that  has  now  to  be  met  is  very  great 
and  increases  constantly  with  the  growth  of  our 
forces  overseas.  I  am,  therefore,  writing  this  letter  to 
urge  all  those  at  home  who  have  been  accustomed 
to  buy  books  and  magazines  in  the  past,  to  continue 
to  do  so  freely,  if  possible  in  increasing  numbers, 
and,  having  read  and  enjoyed  them,  to  pass  them  on 
as  freely  to  the  Camps  Library  for  circulation  among 
the  troops." 

The  following  is  the  Camps  Library  system  of  dis- 
tribution: Any  commanding  officer  of  any  camp  at 
home  or  abroad,  wishing  to  form  a  lending  library 
for  the  use  of  his  men,  can  call  upon  the  Camps  Li- 
brary for  bound  books.  These  are  labeled  and  sent 
out  in  lots  of  one  hundred  in  the  proportion  of  one 
book  to  every  six  men.  A  supply  is  sent  to  regimental 
recreation  rooms  on  request.  Automatically,  once 
a  month,  no  application  being  necessary,  boxes  or 
bales  of  books  and  magazines  are  sent  to  all  units, 
in  proportion  to  their  strength,  serving  with  the 
British,  Mediterranean  and  Indian  expeditionary 
forces.  Monthly  supplies  of  magazines  are  sent  to 
the  bases  for  the  use  of  the  men  entraining  for  the 
front.  Chaplains  of  every  denomination  in  every 
theater  of  war  receive  on  application  a  box  once  a 
fortnight,  or  a  bale  once  a  month,  for  distribution. 
All  requests  for  light  literature  from  the  prisoners 
of  war  are  dealt  with,  and  large  libraries  have  been 
formed  at  most  of  the  prisoners'  camps  in  Germany. 

Great   as   has   been   the   weekly   supply   resulting 


go      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

from  the  sympathy  and  generosity  of  the  public, 
tfrose  in  charge  feel  that  if  the  demands  are  adequately 
to  be  met  the  present  supply  must  be  greatly  increased, 
and  those  responsible  for  the  distribution  of  the  litera- 
ture hope  that  the  public  who  have  so  generously 
supported  the  organization  in  the  past  will  not  only, 
if  possible,  add  to  their  own  gifts,  but  induce  others 
to  support  the  scheme,  and  will  make  the  taking 
of  surplus  books  and  magazines  to  the  local  post 
office  a  war  habit.  The  public  is  assured  that  within 
a  very  few  days  after  the  books  are  handed  across 
the  counter  of  any  post  office  they  are  in  possession 
of  fighting  men  at  home  and  abroad,  on  sea  and  land, 
in  camp  and  hospital. 

Miss  Marie  Corelli  has  given  several  hundred  of 
her  books,  and  Renee  Kelly  has  presented  a  special 
edition  of  "Daddy  Longlegs,"  in  the  dramatic  presen- 
tation of  which  she  has  been  so  successful.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  authors  might  follow  these  ex- 
amples by  presenting  copies  of  their  novels  for  the 
use  of  the  troops. 

Of  course,  some  things  come  in  that  cannot  be  sent 
out,  like  stray  numbers  of  Punch  of  the  year  18^6, 
"Hints  to  Mothers,"  "How  to  Cut  a  Blouse,"  "Medi- 
tations among  the  Tombs,"  and  an  old  telephone 
directory!  The  authorities  found  it  rather  difficult 
to  deal  with  a  herring-barrel  full  of  sermons,  and  were 
at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do  with  passionate  love 
letters  included  by  mistake.  Those  desirous  of  help- 
ing are  asked  not  to  send  "Talks  about  Dress- 
making" or  "Guides  to  English  Watering-places." 

If  anyone  has  a  doubt  as  to  whether  these  books  and 
magazines  are  appreciated  by  the  men  for  whom  they 
are  intended  a  glance  through  the  hundreds  of  letters 


THE     BRITISH     CAMPS     LIBRARY      91 

kept  at  headquarters  will  dispel  it.  "Cramped  in  a 
crumbling  dug-out,  time  passes  slowly,  and  the  mon- 
otony is  greatly  relieved  by  a  few  'mags'  from  the 
old  folks  at  home,"  writes  one  officer  from  the  front. 
"The  men  all  ask  for  pre-war  magazines.  It  is  nice 
to  get  away  from  it  for  a  time."  A  letter  from  France 
brought  this  message:  "The  last  parcel  of  your  books 
came  just  as  we  had  been  relieved  after  the  gas  attack, 
and  there  is  nothing  like  a  book  for  taking  one's  mind 
off  what  one  has  seen  and  gone  through." 

"A  hut  will  probably  be  allotted  to  us  as  a  recrea- 
tion room,  and  it  will  contain  bookcases  made  by 
our  own  pioneers  from  bacon  boxes  to  hold  your 
gifts,"  reports  another  officer.  Supply  wagons  known 
to  contain  parcels  of  books  are  eagerly  watched  for 
by  the  troops  in  the  Land  of  Somewhere.  "The 
lads  were  never  so  pleased  in  their  lives  as  when  I 
told  them  I  had  some  books  for  them,"  is  the  way  one 
lance-corporal  puts  it.  An  extract  from  another 
officer's  letter  tells  the  same  story:  "Most  of  the  men 
were  lying  or  sitting  about  with  nothing  to  do.  When 
I  said  I  had  a  box  of  books  to  lend,  they  were  around 
me  in  a  moment  like  a  lot  of  hounds  at  a  worry,  and 
in  less  than  no  time  each  had  a  book  —  at  least  as 
far  as  they  would  go.  Those  who  hadn't  been  quick 
enough  were  trying  to  get  the  lucky  ones  to  read 
aloud.  It  would  have  done  you  good  to  see  how 
the  men  enjoyed  getting  the  books.  .  .  .  May  we 
have  more,  as  many  more  as  you  can  spare?" 

The  Camps  Library  service  has  been  extended  to 
the  women  of  the  V.  A.  D. 

Appreciative  letters  have  poured  in  from  all  parts  of 
the  world.  A  regimental  officer  writes  from  Gallipoli 
that  he  considers  it  most  important  "to  give  the  men 


92      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

some  occupation  in  this  monotonous  and  dull  trench 
warfare."  "The  long  hours  of  waiting  that  frequently 
fall  to  the  lot  of  a  unit  in  the  trenches  are  not  nearly 
so  trying  if  the  men  have  a  good  supply  of  books," 
is  the  testimony  of  another  officer.  "All  the  books 
sent  seem  very  welcome,  for  soldiers'  tastes  vary," 
says  one  writer  from  "Somewhere  in  France."  Men 
in  Salonika  have  requested  a  copy  of  a  Greek  history, 
their  interest  in  the  subject  being  awakened  by  the 
treasures  of  antiquity  which  they  excavated  while 
digging  trenches.  "It  would  give  us  great  joy  to 
get  a  few  books  on  Syria  and  Palestine,"  is  the  state- 
ment of  an  Army  chaplain.  "I  myself  can  get  but 
few  books,  —  none  about  the  Crusaders.  Only  Dr. 
Stewart's  about  the  Holy  Land.  And  my  men  are 
hungry  for  information.  I  have  sent  for  books  and 
they  have  not  come.  I  would  gladly  pay  for  any 
book  on  either  subject  mentioned.  The  difficulties 
of  transport  have  got  in  my  way.  When  I  was  in 
Cairo  I  could  not  get  a  guide  to  Syria  or  a  book  on 
the  Crusaders,  either  in  English  or  French.  Yet 
life  out  in  the  desert,  or  rather,  wilderness,  is  conducive 
to  mental  receptivity  and  thought  of  higher  things." 

Another  phase  of  the  work  undertaken  by  the  Camps 
Library  was  the  establishment  of  lending  libraries  for 
the  use  of  British  prisoners  of  war  in  Germany,  Aus- 
tria, Holland,  Switzerland,  Bulgaria  and  Turkey.  The 
packages  include  much  modern  fiction  as  well  as  novels 
by  some  of  the  old  standard  authors.  Biography, 
travel,  history  and  poetry,  magazines,  music  and  play- 
ing cards  are  also  provided.  Everything  is  barred 
that  deals  with  modern  international  politics  or  that 
would  be  likely  to  give  offense  or  information  to  the 
enemy.     Fresh  consignments  are  sent  from  time  to 


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THE     BRITISH     CAMPS     LIBRARY       g3 

time,  both  to  make  up  for  any  depreciation  and  to 
increase  the  size  and  scope  of  the  library.  Where 
a  large  camp  has  a  number  of  working  camps  attached 
to  it,  arrangements  have  been  made  by  which  the 
librarian  at  the  central  camp  receives  special  consign- 
ments for  distribution  among  the  latter.  Whenever 
possible  individual  requests  are  supplied,  and  parcels 
are  forwarded  to  any  prisoner  who  applies  for  specific 
books.  As  a  rule  the  German  authorities  have  always 
given  every  facility  for  the  receipt  and  distribution 
of  books  among  the  men.  At  first  there  was  great 
difficulty  in  getting  in  touch  with  the  prisoners  in 
Turkey  and  Bulgaria,  but  communication  is  improv- 
ing and  acknowledgments  of  packets  received  are 
reaching  the  Camps  Library  headquarters  regularly. 
The  most  pathetic  note  connected  with  the  whole 
work  is  one  penciled  on  a  sheet  of  paper  fastened 
with  red  sealing  wax  to  an  inside  page  of  a  copy  of 
The  Story  Teller: 

With  Best  Wishes 

I  am  only  a  little  boy  of  10  years.  And  I  Hope  who 
ever  gets  this  Book  will  like  it.  My  father  is  missing. 
Since  the  25  and  26  Sept.  191 5.  The  Battle  of  Loos. 
I  wonder  if  it  will  fall  in  the  hands  of  anyone  who  was 
in  that  Battle  and  could  give  us  any  Information  con- 
cerning Him. 

Underneath  is  written  the  name  of  the  lad's  father, 
the  number  of  the  battalion,  the  name  of  his  regi- 
ment, and  the  home  address.  Inquiries  were  set  on 
foot,  but,  alas,  they  were  of  no  avail.  The  little 
boy's  father  was  one  of  the  great  army  who  had  died 
a  hero's  death  for  his  country's  sake. 


94      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 


3.    BRITISH   Y.    M.    C.    A.    LIBRARIES 

"Until  the  beginning  of  the  war,"  writes  F.  A. 
McKenzie  in  the  London  Daily  Mail,  "the  average 
citizen  regarded  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  as  a  somewhat  milk- 
and-waterish  organization,  run  by  elderly  men,  to 
preach  to  youth.  This  view  was  exceedingly  unfair, 
but  it  is  true  that  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  never  had  its  full 
chance  here  until  the  war  came.  Then  it  seized 
its  opportunity.  It  does  not  do  much  preaching 
nowadays.  It  is  too  busy  serving."  The  organiza- 
tion has  emerged  from  a  position  of  comparative 
obscurity  into  one  of  national  prominence.  Lord 
Derby  has  spoken  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  as  "invaluable 
in  peace  time  and  indispensable  in  war  time." 

"Since  the  war,  the  Association  has  shown  its  youth, 
its  manhood,  and  its  Christianity  by  rising  to  a  great 
opportunity,  and  there  are  literally  millions  of  young 
soldiers  who  will  be  eternally  grateful  to  it,  not 
negatively  for  what  it  is  not,  but  positively  for  what 
it  is  and  for  what  it  has  done  for  them,"  says 
Geoffrey  Gordon  in  "Papers  from  Picardy,  by  Two 
Chaplains." 

Ever  since  the  war  broke  out  the  Association  has 
sent  a  constant  stream  of  books  and  magazines  to 
its  huts  in  Great  Britain  and  overseas.  Hundreds 
of  thousands  have  gone.  For  nearly  two  years  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  made  its  appeal  through  the  Camps 
Library;  but  the  demand  for  reading  matter  increased 
so  enormously  that  no  single  organization  could  cope 
with  it,  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  agreed  to  enter  upon 
a  book  campaign  of  its  own.  The  ground  floor  of 
"Triangle   House,"   the   new  Y.   M.    C.   A.    trading 


BRITISH     Y.    M.    C.    A.     LIBRARIES        g5 

and  transport  headquarters,  was  devoted  to  the  pur- 
pose and  a  strong  staff  of  voluntary  women  workers, 
recruited  by  Mrs.  Douglas  Gordon,  the  honorary  libra- 
rian, undertook  the  task  of  sorting,  packing  and 
despatching  books.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Rhys  en- 
ergetically organized  local  "book-days"  in  London. 
Two  days  in  Hampstead  alone  yielded  thousands  of 
volumes.  Appeals  were  sent  out  from  the  National 
Headquarters,  emphasizing  the  need  of  thousands  of 
books  and  magazines  every  week  for  the  soldiers  in 
camp  and  "up-the-line,"  and  urging  that  a  never- 
ceasing  supply  from  all  quarters  should  be  sent  pre- 
paid to  Triangle  House,  Tottenham  Court  Road,  or  to 
any  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Bureaus  in  London. 

The  public  helped  well  at  first,  but  then  the  supply 
dropped  off  sadly.  In  consequence  notices  were  sent 
out  in  February,  191 7,  calling  special  attention  to 
the  need  for  small  pocket  editions  of  novels  —  the 
sevenpenny  and  shilling  size;  good  novels  by  stand- 
ard authors;  books  of  history,  biography  and  travel; 
manuals  of  science;  religious  books;  illustrated  maga- 
zines; really  good  literature  of  all  kinds,  but  not 
large  or  heavy  books,  and  no  old  out-of-date  ones. 
People  were  urged  to  give  something  that  they  them- 
selves really  cared  for,  and  were  notified  by  circular 
that  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  book  collector  would  call  shortly. 
"We  trust  that  you  will  spare  half  a  dozen  or  more 
of  your  favorite  authors,"  said  the  president  of  the 
Ladies'  Auxiliary  Committee.  "You  will  never  regret 
this  small  sacrifice  for  our  men  serving  their  country." 

Placards  were  distributed  reading:  "Mobilize  your 
books.  Leave  your  favorite  books,  novels,  war-books, 
current  magazines,  at  the  nearest  Y.  M.  C.  A.  depot, 
or  send  them  to  the  Book  Bureau,  i/r4,  Tottenham 


96      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

Court  Road.  They  are  urgently  needed  for  our 
soldiers  abroad,  at  the  base,  and  in  the  trenches." 

Book-teas  or  book-receptions,  to  which  each  visitor 
brings  one  or  more  volumes,  prove  fruitful.  Special 
appeals  made  to  great  commercial  bodies,  banks  and 
large  insurance  companies,  have  been  very  successful. 
Nearly  20,000  books  came  in  from  the  canvassing  of 
the  various  banking  institutions.  The  work  of  solic- 
iting in  the  great  insurance  offices  is  in  progress  and 
promises  a  large  yield.  In  certain  parts  of  the  country, 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  book-days  have  been  held,  when  by  the 
aid  of  Boy  Scouts,  or  a  collection  taken  on  the  tram- 
ways, thousands  of  volumes  have  been  secured  for 
local  huts.  It  was  suggested  that  this  kind  of  thing 
might  be  undertaken  in  dozens  of  towns  for  the  larger 
purpose  of  sending  books  overseas,  not  only  to  France, 
but  to  Egypt,  Mesopotamia,  British  East  Africa,  Salo- 
nika and  Malta.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  is  now  organ- 
izing a  collection  of  books  and  magazines  in  different 
districts  throughout  Great  Britain  and  is  instituting 
Red  Triangle  Magazine  and  Book  Clubs  which  will 
collect  and  forward  a  weekly  or  fortnightly  supply  to 
the  Library  Department  in  London.  Although  the 
supply  of  books  and  magazines  upon  which  the  library 
depends  for  its  stock  is  derived  chiefly  from  gift 
sources,  money  sent  by  friends  can  be  spent  by  the 
authorities  to  the  best  advantage,  as  special  arrange- 
ments have  been  made  with  the  publishers  and  with 
the  great  firms  that  run  railway  bookstalls  and  circu- 
lating libraries.  One  of  these  firms  supplies  second- 
hand copies  of  the  standard  novels  in  good  editions, 
at  the  rate  of  six  shillings  per  dozen. 

Books  are  sent  to  the  huts,  of  course,  but  that 
they  are  valued  even  more  in  the  dug-outs  along  the 


>:  '"  - 


Upper:    ©  Committee  on  Public  Information 

Lower:    British  Official  Photograph,  Aljieri  Picture  Service,  London 

35.  SOMETHING   TO   READ   IS  APPRECIATED   RY   THE 

NURSES  AND   RY  THE   MOTHERS  WHO  VISIT 

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BRITISH     Y.   M.    C.    A.     LIBRARIES        97 

actual  trenches,  or  when  given  to  men  just  starting  on 
a  tedious  thirty-hour  railway  journey  from  the  base 
to  the  front  is  proved  by  numerous  letters  received 
at  Headquarters. 

A  soldier  wrote  from  the  trenches:  "We  sit  in  our 
dug-outs  and  just  think!  I  wonder  if  you  could  send 
some  books  and  magazines  over  here." 

A  man  in  Egypt,  begging  for  magazines,  said  that 
he  didn't  wonder  that  the  children  of  Israel  grumbled 
when  they  went  that  way! 

"We  never  can  secure  enough  reading  matter  to 
while  away  the  hours  in  the  long.  French  train  jour- 
neys," writes  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  worker  in  France. 

A  "sevenpenny"  book  given  to  a  soldier  by  a 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  worker  as  he  went  by  train  to  the  front 
line  was  read  by  every  man  in  the  platoon.  The 
man  was  wounded  and  took  the  book  to  the  hospital 
where  it  was  read  by  every  man  in  the  ward.  Now 
that  he  has  regained  possession  of  it,  he  intends  to 
keep  it  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

The  magazines  which  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  been 
able  to  supply  the  troops  have  frequently  been  cut 
into  sections  so  as  to  make  them  go  around.  Even 
the  printed  wrapping  paper  in  which  parcels  are  sent 
is  smoothed  out  and  read  as  literature.  If  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  workers  could  get  the  thousands  of  magazines 
and  "  sevenpennies "  left  lying  about  in  clubs,  rail- 
way carriages,  and  private  houses,  it  would  enable 
battalions  of  men  to  forget  for  a  few  moments  the 
hardships,  the  risks,  and  the  monotony  of  active 
service. 

The  general  libraries  are  intended  to  contain  the 
best  stories,  poetry,  travel,  biography  and  essays, 
both  classical  and  modern.    Educational  books  are 


98      WAR    LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

needed  in  every  hut  where  lectures  and  classes  are 
being  carried  on.  A  good  devotional  library  is  wanted 
for  every  Quiet  Room  —  the  writings  of  men  like 
Augustine,  a  Kempis,  Bunyan,  Robertson,  or  Spur- 
geon,  and  the  outstanding  books  of  the  last  ten  years 
on  religion.  It  has  been  suggested  that  various  church 
organizations  make  up  libraries  of  this  kind  of  litera- 
ture and  thus  perform  a  practical  service  to  the  men 
of  the  Army. 

In  the  field  of  educational  books,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
has  taken  over  the  work  hitherto  carried  on  by  the 
Fighting  Forces  Book  Council,  which  was  constituted 
for  the  special  task  of  providing  literature  of  a  more 
solid  and  educational  value  for  men  of  the  forces. 
The  authorities  feel  that  they  need  large  numbers,  not 
so  much  of  school  books  or  textbooks,  as  of  brightly 
written,  reliable  modern  monographs  like  those  in  the 
"Home  University  Library"  and  Jack's  series  of 
"People's  Books,"  so  that  the  men  can  follow  up  the 
lectures  that  they  have  heard.  Volumes  of  the  "Every- 
man's Library,"  or  of  Nelson's  reprints  have  been  found 
well  suited  to  the  needs.  The  lectures  given  in  the 
huts  have  greatly  stimulated  the  book  hunger  in  the 
men,  and  their  interest  in  the  history  of  "Old  Blighty." 

An  officer  commanding  a  military  school  of  instruc- 
tion in  France  recently  wrote  in  to  Headquarters, 
begging  for  a  library.  He  sent  a  list  of  the  kind  of 
books  which  he  was  desirous  of  putting  at  the  disposal 
of  the  cadets  during  the  first  stage  of  their  education 
at  his  school.  "I  hope  from  all  this,"  said  he,  "you 
may  be  able  to  gather  the  type  of  book  we  should  like 
—  authoritative,  but  not  too  long  or  too  heavy  for 
minds  dulled  to  study  by  trench  fife." 

The  Red  Triangle  Library,  which  began  its  corporate 


BRITISH     Y.    M.    C.    A.     LIBRARIES        99 

existence  in  February,  191 7,  has  grown  into  a  vigorous 
and  useful  organization.  Its  headquarters  are  now 
in  convenient  rooms  on  the  ground  floor  of  Wimborne 
House,  Arlington  Street,  St.  James',  S.  W.  1,  London. 

In  eleven  months  it  sent  away  197,380  books  and 
magazines: 

To  Home  Camps 56,55o 

To  France 1 1 1,755 

To  Overseas  Bases 29,075 

The  Overseas  Bases  include  Mesopotamia,  British 
East  Africa,  Egypt,  Salonica,  Nairobi,  Malta,  Calcutta, 
Mudros,  Taranto  and  Cimio. 

Huts  in  Home  Camps  are  supplied  with  books  upon 
the  application  of  the  hut  leader.  Parcels  are  also 
sent  to  munition  centers  and  canteens,  to  girls'  hostels, 
and  to  Red  Triangle  clubs  for  boys. 

A  regular  weekly  consignment  of  about  4o  bales, 
totaling  nearly  a  ton,  is  sent  to  France.  Twice  as 
much  could  be  used,  especially  in  view  of  the  recent 
loss  of  many  hut  libraries  in  France.  Each  district 
receives  in  regular  rotation  as  many  bales  as  there  are 
huts  in  that  district.  The  round  has  now  been  made 
twice  since  the  Library  opened  on  February  12th,  19 17. 
There  is  also  a  Library  Reserve  at  Abbeville  for  the 
supply  of  particular  or  individual  requests  from  hut 
leaders. 

Mr.  Oliver  McCowen  writes  from  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Headquarters  in  France:  "It  is  a  real  pleasure  now 
to  go  round  our  huts  and  find  quite  respectable  li- 
braries in  process  of  formation.  All  our  leaders  speak 
enthusiastically  of  the  service  you  are  rendering." 

A  hut  leader,  also  from  France,  reports  that  the 
magazines  and  books  are  read  in  the  hut  and  taken 


IOO     WAR    LIBRARIES     AND    ALLIED     STUDIES 

to  the  men's  quarters,  and  afterwards  passed  all 
round  the  camp.  In  isolation  camps  the  books  are 
described  as  a  godsend. 

Another  letter  of  acknowledgment  says  "the  men 
hailed  with  delighted  gratitude  this  proof  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.'s  interest  and  sympathy  —  as  soon  as 
I  undid  the  string  I  had  a  crowd  of  men  round  me  to 
see  what  books  I  had  got.  I  am  most  grateful  for  so 
much  up-to-date  material." 

Mr.  A.  St.  John  Adcock  has  described  a  visit  he 
made  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  huts  in  France  and  in  Flanders. 
"Wherever  the  troops  go,"  said  he,  "the  huts  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  spring  up  in  the  midst  of  them *  or  if  you 
notice  no  huts  it  is  because  you  are  in  the  danger 
zone,  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  is  carrying  on  its  beneficent 
business  as  usual  in  dim  cellars  under  shattered  houses 
or  in  convenient  dug-outs  among  the  trenches.  .  .  . 
There  is  always  a  library  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  huts 
when  their  arrangements  are  completed.  Sometimes 
it  is  in  a  small  separate  room;  usually  it  is  in  on  half  a 
dozen  or  more  shelves  in  a  corner,  and,  perhaps  be- 
cause books  happen  to  be  my  own  principal  form  of 
enjoyment,  I  always  think  it  adds  just  the  last  touch 
of  homeliness  to  the  hut.  And  you  may  depend 
that  thousands  of  the  soldiers  think  so,  too.  For  one 
has  to  remember  that  our  armies  to-day  are  like  no 
armies  that  ever  went  out  to  battle  for  us  before. 
Most  of  our  soldiers  in  the  Napoleonic  wars,  even  in 
the  Crimean  War,  did  not  require  books,  because 
they  couldn't  read;    but  the  British,  Canadian,  Aus- 

1  "I  believe  I'll  find  you  Y.  M.  C.  A.  men  anywhere  except  in  hell," 
said  a  man  at  a  detention  camp  in  the  neighborhood  of  Camp  Travis. 
In  the  British  Army  the  Red  Triangle  is  as  well  known  as  the  Red 
Cross. 


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BRITISH     Y.    M.    C.    A.     LIBRARIES         IOI 

tralasian  and  South  African  troops  on  service  the 
world  over  are  largely  made  up  of  men  who  were 
part  of  what  we  call  the  reading  public  at  home,  and 
if  books  were  their  friends  in  peace  time  they  are 
even  greater  friends  to  them  now,  especially  when 
they  have  to  make  long  waits  in  Base  camps,  far 
behind  the  trenches,  and  have  more  than  plenty  of 
leisure  on  their  hands."  Or,  as  Mr.  Charles  T.  Bate- 
man  put  it:  "The  private  of  to-day  is  not  an  ignorant 
yokel  who  has  taken  the  shilling  to  escape  some  trouble." 
Mr.  Adcock  says  that  before  he  made  this  visit  to 
the  front,  he  had,  and  he  knew  others  who  had,  letters 
from  several  soldiers  asking  for  books  of  recitations 
suitable  for  camp  concerts.  Some  wrote  for  certain 
poets  and  essayists,  while  two  inquired  definitely 
for  text-books  in  chemistry  and  biology.  In  the 
camps,  Mr.  Adcock  naturally  found  that  the  chief 
demand  was  for  fiction,  but  there  were  many  men 
who  had  preferences  for  biography,  essays,  poetry, 
and  for  all  manner  of  histories.  One  man  who  was 
reading  Macaulay's  History  regretted  that  there  was 
only  an  odd  first  volume  in  the  library,  as  he  was 
anxious  to  get  hold  of  the  second.  A  sergeant  ran 
off  a  score  of  titles  of  novels  and  memoirs  he  had 
recently  read,  and  he  was  now  tackling  Boswell. 
He  was  anxious  to  know  if  Mr.  Adcock  could  send 
him  half  a  dozen  copies  of  Omar  Khayyam,  which  he 
would  like  to  give  to  some  of  his  men  as  Christmas 
presents.  There  were  several  Dickens  enthusiasts 
in  the  camp.  One  who  knew  nothing  of  him  before 
he  went  out,  except  the  "Tale  of  Two  Cities,"  had, 
since  he  had  been  in  France,  borrowed  and  read 
"David  Copperfield"  and  "Great  Expectations,"  and 
was    now    deep    in    "Our    Mutual    Friend."     "He 


102     WAR     LIBRARIES     AND     ALLIED     STUDIES 

spoke  of  these  stories,"  says  Mr.  Adcock,  "as  de- 
lightedly as  a  man  might  talk  of  the  wonders  of  a 
newly-discovered  world,  and  it  made  me  sorry  that 
those  who  had  given  these  books  for  his  use  could 
never  quite  know  how  much  they  had  given." 

Sometimes  the  men  just  take  the  books  to  read  in 
the  reading  room,  but  often  they  prefer  to  take  them 
to  their  barracks,  in  which  case  they  leave  a  small 
deposit  until  the  book  is  returned.  They  feel  that 
if  they  had  twice  as  many  books  as  at  present 
they  would  not  have  enough.  More  books  of  the 
better  kind  are  especially  wanted.  They  could  use  any 
amount  of  fiction  by  Kipling,  Wells,  Bennett,  Ian  Hay, 
Barrie,  Doyle,  Hall  Caine,  Stevenson,  Jacobs  —  there's 
a  public  for  them  all,  while  Dickens,  Scott  and  the 
older  novelists  are  wonderfully  popular.  Properly 
prepared  scrap-books  have  proved  invaluable.  There 
is  also  a  surprising  number  of  more  serious  readers 
who  ask  for  Carlyle,  Emerson,  Greene,  Lamb,  Ruskin, 
Shakespeare,  Tennyson — books  which  frequently  can- 
not be  supplied. 

"I  overtook  a  smart  young  soldier  one  afternoon 
on  the  fringe  of  one  of  the  base  camps,"  writes  Mr. 
Adcock.  "He  limped  slightly,  and  as  we  walked 
together  I  noticed  a  copy  of  Browning  sticking  out 
of  his  breast  pocket,  and  remarked  upon  it.  It  seemed 
he  had  been  for  three  weeks  in  the  convalescent  part 
of  the  camp  with  a  badly  sprained  ankle,  and  had 
profited  by  that  leisure  to  read  for  the  first  time  the 
whole  of  Keats  and  Wordsworth,  and  was  just  begin- 
ning Browning.  He  came  from  Manchester  and  was, 
in  civil  life,  a  musician.  'But,'  he  laughed,  'you 
can't  bring  a  'cello  with  you  on  active  service,  so  I 
have  fallen  back  more  on  reading.     I  was  always  fond 


BRITISH     Y.    M.    C.    A.     LIBRARIES         Io3 

of  it,  but  I've  read  more  in  the  ten  months  I  have 
been  here  than  in  any  ten  months  at  home.'  He 
drew  the  Browning  from  his  pocket,  and  I  noticed 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  stamp  on  it.  'Yes,'  he  said,  'they've 
got  some  fine  little  libraries  in  the  huts.  They  are 
a  godsend  to  the  chaps  here.  But  I  haven't  been 
able  to  come  across  a  Shelley  or  a  Francis  Thompson 
yet.     I  would  like  to  read  Thompson. 

Of  the  elderly  volunteer  workers  who  had  given  not 
only  their  time  but  also  their  automobiles  to  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Mr.  Adcock  saw  three  who  had  sons  up 
in  the  trenches,  and  two  who  had  sons  lying  in  the 
soldiers'  cemeteries  behind  the  lines.  "  It  is  not  possible 
for  all  of  us  to  do  as  much  as  that,"  said  he.  "Most 
of  us  have  neither  time  nor  cars  to  give;  but  it  is 
possible  for  all  of  us  to  do  something  to  lighten  the 
lives  of  our  fighting  men,  and  since  I  have  seen  what 
pleasure  and  solace  they  get  from  them,  I  know  that 
even  if  we  give  nothing  but  books  we  have  given 
infinitely  more  than  our  money  could  buy." 

"The  problem  of  dealing  with  conditions,  at  such 
a  time,  and  under  existing  circumstances,  at  the 
rest  camps,  has  always  been  a  most  difficult  one," 
wrote  General  French  from  Headquarters,  "but  the 
erection  of  huts  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation has  made  this  far  easier.  The  extra  comfort 
thereby  afforded  to  the  men,  and  the  opportunities 
for  reading  and  writing,  have  been  of  incalculable 
service."  The  providing  of  free  stationery  in  all  its 
buildings,  at  an  outlay  averaging  £1000  per  week, 
has  been  a  beneficent  and  highly  salutary  phase  of 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work.  The  expense  is  justified,  as 
the  letters  he  writes  mean  everything  to  the  soldier 
and  his  friends.    They  not  only  help  to  keep  him 


104     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

straight,  but  also  preserve  the  happy  relationship 
between  the  sender  and  the  receiver.  Millions  of 
letters  have  been  written  on  this  Y.  M.  C.  A.  paper, 
and  the  recipients  have  felt  reassured  because  they 
realized  that  there  was  someone  looking  after  their 
boys.  Roman  Catholics  and  Jews  have  written  grate- 
ful letters  to  Headquarters  because  their  friends  had 
received  a  welcome  at  the  writing  tables  without  any 
question  of  creed  being  raised.  In  view  of  all  that 
this  organization  is  doing  at  the  front,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  the  grateful  soldiers  interpret  the  ever-welcome 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  sign  as  meaning  "You  Make  Christianity 
Attractive." 


BRITISH     PRISONERS     OF     WAR         io5 


4.    BRITISH   PRISONERS   OF   WAR   BOOK 
SCHEME    (EDUCATIONAL) 

Shortly  after  the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  three 
Englishmen,  held  captive  in  the  makeshift  camp 
formed  out  of  the  buildings  attached  to  the  race- 
course at  Ruhleben,  in  the  neighborhood  at  Berlin, 
sent  identical  letters  to  three  friends  in  Great  Britain, 
asking  that  serious  books  be  sent  them  for  purposes 
of  study. 

One  of  the  recipients  was  Mr.,  now  Sir  Alfred  T. 
Davies,  permanent  secretary  of  the  Welsh  Department 
of  the  Board  of  Education.  So  impressed  was  he  by 
the  request  that  he  was  led  to  organize  a  system  of 
book  supply  for  British  prisoners  of  war  interned  in 
Germany.  The  appeal  which  he  sent  out  met  with  a 
liberal  response,  but  as  the  station  in  life  of  the  men 
interned  varied  from  that  of  a  university  professor  to 
that  of  a  jockey,  it  required  some  work  to  find  books 
suited  to  the  different  tastes  and  capacities.  The 
Camp  Education  Department  was  organized,  and  an 
appeal  to  the  public  for  offers  of  new  or  second-hand 
books  was  sanctioned  by  the  President  of  the  Board  of 
Education.  Immediately  there  was  a  generous  re- 
sponse. Within  the  first  year  about  9000  educational 
books  were  forwarded  to  Ruhleben.  The  200  lecturers 
and  their  pupils,  gathered  from  the  *4ooo  civilians 
interned  there,  now  have  an  excellent  library  to  draw 
from. 

The  Foreign  Office  then  approved  steps  taken  to 
extend  to  prisoners  in  other  camps  the  advantages 
which  had  proved  so  helpful  in  Ruhleben,  and  inquiries 


106     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

conducted  through  the  British  Legations  at  The 
Hague,  Copenhagen  and  Berne,  and  through  the 
United  States  Embassies  at  Berlin,  Vienna,  Sofia  and 
Constantinople,  resulted  in  applications  being  received 
from  various  camps  in  Holland,  Germany,  Austria, 
Turkey,  Bulgaria  and  Switzerland.  These  requests 
have  all  been  met  from  supplies  gathered  at  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Board  of  Education.  The  wants 
of  prisoners  can  be  supplied  nearly  always  if  their 
relatives  will  communicate  with  Sir  Alfred  Davies  at 
the  Board  of  Education  Offices,  South  Kensington. 

Among  the  subjects  on  which  books  have  been 
specially  requested  are  agriculture;  art  (including  oil 
and  watercolor  painting,  pastel,  drawing  and  per- 
spective, printing  and  design,  lettering,  etc.);  archi- 
tecture; atlases;  aviation;  biography;  Celtic  (Gaelic 
and  Welsh);  ceramics;  commerce,  finance  and  banking; 
dictionaries  and  grammars  (English  and  foreign,  espe- 
cially Italian,  Spanish  and  Russian);  encyclopedias; 
engineering  in  its  numerous  branches;  forestry;  handi- 
crafts; Hindustani;  iron  and  steel;  law;  lighthouses; 
Mohammedanism;  music  of  various  kinds;  natural 
history;  navigation;  pragmatism;  pumps;  Russian 
literature;  telegraphy  and  telephony;  trades;  travel. 

The  objects  of  the  work  are  to  save  British  Prisoners 
of  War  interned  in  enemy  and  neutral  countries  from 
mental  deterioration,  and  to  assist  them  in  redeeming 
the  time  spent  in  captivity  (i)  by  providing  them  with 
books  for  study  purposes;  (2)  by  securing  recognition 
from  university  and  other  examining  bodies  for  their 
studies  during  internment;  (3)  by  helping  them  the 
better  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  at  the  close  of  the 
war  by  enabling  them  now  to  employ  usefully  their 
enforced  leisure  and  to  improve  their  qualifications. 


BRITISH     PRISONERS     OF     WAR  107 

There  are  said  to  be  6,700  war  charities,  160  prisoners 
of  war  charities,  but  only  one  prisoners  of  war  charity 
providing  books  for  purposes  of  study.  This  book 
scheme  does  not  overlap  the  work  of  any  other  war 
organization. 

"It  will  be  a  matter  of  surprise  to  many,"  says  Sir 
Alfred  Davies,  "to  learn  that,  for  over  a  year  and  a 
half,  some  200  lecturers  and  teachers  and  i5oo  students, 
organized  in  nine  different  departments  of  study  (the 
arts,  languages,  sciences,  navigation,  engineering,  music, 
etc.)  have  been  busily  at  work  in  the  camp,  and  that 
there  is  perhaps  as  much  solid  work  going  on  among 
these  civilian  victims  of  the  Great  War  as  can  be 
claimed  to-day  by  any  University  in  the  British 
Empire." 

The  educational  work  of  the  Ruhleben  Camp  is 
suited  to  meet  the  requirements  of  three  classes  of 
men:  1.  Those  whose  internment  has  interrupted  their 
preparations  for  such  examinations  as  the  London 
matriculation,  the  various  university  degrees,  or  the 
Board  of  Trade  nautical  examinations;  2.  Those  who 
already  had  entered  upon  a  commercial  or  professional 
career;  3.  Those  who  are  pursuing  some  form  of 
learning  for  learning's  sake. 

An  interesting  development  has  been  formulated 
by  which  interned  men  who  attend  classes  may  secure 
under  certain  conditions  a  recognition  of  their  work 
when  they  return  home.  The  Board  of  Trade,  which 
has  welcomed  the  idea  with  enthusiasm,  is  prepared, 
in  calculating  the  period  of  qualifying  service  required 
before  a  certificate  of  competency  can  be  obtained,  to 
take  into  account  the  evidence  of  study  during  intern- 
ment submitted  to  them  on  a  special  form.  This 
record  form  has  been  drawn  up  for  use  in  the  camps, 


108     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

after  consultation  with  various  examining  and  pro- 
fessional bodies,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  and 
preserving  authenticated  details  of  the  courses  of 
study  pursued  by  any  student  in  a  camp.  It  is  hoped 
that  this  record  may  be  of  material  benefit  to  the  men 
when  the  time  comes  for  them  to  resume  their  inter- 
rupted careers.  Thus  a  man  who  wants  to  become  a 
master,  mate,  first  or  second  engineer  in  the  mercantile 
marine,  skipper  or  second  hand  of  a  fishing  vessel,  and 
is  willing  to  devote  a  few  hours  a  day  to  regular  study 
in  a  camp  where  there  is  systematic  instruction  in 
navigation  and  seamanship,  can  have  this  work  counted 
towards  his  certificate. 

The  Ruhleben  Camp  started  a  library  of  its  own  on 
Nov.  i4,  191^,  with  83  books,  received  from  the 
American  Ambassador,  Mr.  Gerard,  and  Mr.  Trinks. 
According  to  Mr.  Israel  Cohen,1  "Books,  brochures 
and  maps  were  procurable  through  the  Camp  Book- 
seller (Mr.  F.  L.  Musset) ;  and  on  the  walls  of  many 
a  horse-box  or  in  the  passage  of  the  stables  were  pasted 
large  maps  of  the  various  theaters  of  war,  upon  which 
the  course  of  operations  was  followed  from  day  to  day. 
Many  men  also  cut  out  of  their  papers  the  small  maps 
illustrating  particular  campaigns  and  preserved  them 
for  future  reference.  As  these  various  publications 
had  to  be  ordered  through  the  Camp  Bookseller  and 
passed  through  the  hands  of  the  military  authorities, 
the  latter  were  able  to  prevent  the  entry  of  any  printed 
matter  that  was  considered  dangerous."  Books  were 
also  received  from  the  Seamen's  Mission  at  Hamburg 
and  from  Mudie's  Library.  By  July,  191 5,  there  were 
2000  English  and  American  magazines,  3oo  German 

1  "The  Ruhleben  prison  camp:  a  record  of  nineteen  months'  in- 
ternment."    London,  Methuen,  19 17,  p.  212. 


©  International  Film  Service 

39.  READING  HIS  HOME   PAPER 

The  paper  which  he  just  glanced  at  when  home  is  now  eagerly  devoured 


French  Pictorial  Service 

4o.  NEWSPAPERS  BEING  DELIVERED  TO  THE  INHABITANTS 

OF  BAPAUME  AND  NOYON  SHORTLY  AFTER 

THEIR  RECAPTURE 


BRITISH     PRISONERS     OF     WAR         109 

books  and  i3o  French  books.  On  the  average  25o 
books  a  day  were  taken  out.  As  they  had  a  printer  in 
camp,  they  decided  to  print  a  catalogue.  The  demands 
that  come  in  now  at  the  enlarged  library  are  varied 
and  curious,  but  nearly  all  can  be  supplied  from  the 
shelves.  Books  in  forty-two  languages  have  been 
asked  for  and  supplied.  Dictionaries  and  books  on 
electricity  and  engineering  are  constantly  in  demand. 
One  man  asks  for  a  book  on  tropical  agriculture; 
another  wants  a  manual  on  cotton  spinning,  while  a 
third  man  needs  Schlumberger's  "Siege  de  Con- 
stantinople." Another  writes  for,  and  receives  through 
the  generosity  of  the  publisher,  a  beautiful  work  on 
the  "Sculptured  tombs  of  Rome,"  a  subject  on  which 
he  is  planning  to  make  a  personal  contribution  after 
his  release. 

The  circulating  library  at  Ruhleben  now  numbers 
eight  thousand  volumes  and  there  is  a  reference  collec- 
tion of  two  thousand  volumes.  Mr.  J.  H.  Platford  is 
the  librarian.  He  is  a  partner  in  a  London  firm  of 
accountants  and  is  said  to  have  an  income  running 
into  five  figures.  When  it  was  suggested  that  he  give 
up  the  librarianship  he  said  that  he  had  had  charge 
of  the  library  from  the  time  it  consisted  of  ten  paper- 
back novels  and  now  that  it  was  a  real  library  he 
would  like  to  see  the  man  who  was  big  enough  to  do 
him  out  of  his  job! 

Some  R.  N.  V.  R.  men  at  Doeberitz  sent  in  a  com- 
prehensive request  for  "  The  Agricultural  Holding  Act, 
a  Motor  Manual,  Practical  Navigation,  Bee-keeping 
and  Furniture  (periods  and  styles)."  "  We  are  working 
in  stone-quarries  with  some  Frenchmen,"  writes  a 
private,  "and  should  like  to  be  able  to  talk  to  them 
more."     "I  can  speak  Russian  pretty  fair,  but  not  in 


110     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

their  grammar,"  writes  a  Jack  Tar.  A  certified  teacher 
confesses:  "No  one  knows  better  than  I  myself  how  I 
am  deteriorating,"  and  he  asks  for  and  receives  books 
on  educational  psychology,  so  as  to  catch  up  again 
with  the  trend  of  thought  in  his  profession.  The  aim 
of  the  organization  is  to  provide  every  prisoner  with 
exactly  the  book  or  books  he  may  desire  or  need,  on 
any  subject  or  in  any  language. 

"'No  dumping  allowed,'  is  a  rule  which  is  applied 
alike  to  donors  and  recipients,"  says  Sir  Alfred  Davies. 
"'Feed  us  with  books,'  is  the  appeal,  but  send  us  first 
a  list  of  books  with  their  titles  and  their  dates  of 
publication  so  that  we  may  mark  those  that  are  likely 
to  be  of  use.  If  we  did  not  protect  ourselves  in  this 
way  we  would  have  people  who  wanted  to  clear  out 
their  libraries  and  rid  themselves  of  old  novels  and 
old  school  books  by  dumping  them  on  us.  As  it  is  we 
get,  and  we  hope  to  get,  until  our  prisoners  are  free, 
a  constant  supply  of  useful,  historical,  technical, 
geographical  and  other  books,  all  of  them  in  good 
condition  and  many  quite  new.  In  each  of  them  we 
put  a  book-plate  saying  that  the  book  is  supplied  by 
X  (giving  the  donor's  name)  through  the  agency  of 
the  Board  of  Education." 

"There  is  no  doubt  that  when  you  are  engrossed 
in  a  good  book  there  is  a  chance  of  your  forgetting 
your  condition  and  imagining  yourself  a  free  man," 
wrote  a  British  prisoner  of  war  to  a  friend  in  London. 
Captivorum  animis  dent  libri  libertatem. 

One  prisoner,  desperate  with  his  weary  months  of 
captivity,  wrote:  "I  shall  go  mad  unless  I  get  some- 
thing to  read,"  and  his  case  is  typical  of  many  others. 
In  support  of  Sir  Alfred  Davies'  call  for  either  money 
or  books,  a  correspondent  wrote  to  the  London  Times 


BRITISH     PRISONERS     OF     WAR        in 

an  appeal  on  behalf  of  the  British  prisoners  of  war. 
"You  have  fed,  you  are  feeding  their  bodies,"  said  he. 
"To  the  prisoners  in  Germany  you  are  sending  bread, 
which  they  badly  need,  as  well  as  sardines  and  hams 
and  jams  and  toothpowder  and  monthly  magazines 
and  other  luxuries  of  life  which  they  keenly  appreciate. 
But  prisoners  cannot  live  by  bread  alone,  and  not 
even  a  pot  of  marmalade  or  a  thrilling  story  by  X  or 
Y  can  fill  the  void.  They  want  food  for  the  mind  as 
well  as  for  the  stomach  and  the  imagination,  and, 
unless  their  minds  are  to  decay,  they  must  have  it.  .  .  . 
The  months  or  years  of  internment  need  not  be  wasted 
time.  The  calamity  may  even  be  turned  to  good 
account  (as  other  calamities  incident  to  warfare  are 
being  every  day)  thanks  to  the  scheme  which  enables 
enforced  leisure  to  be  filled  with  profitable  study.  .  .  . 
It  is  not  only  a  question  of  providing  the  excellent  cure 
for  boredom  known  as  'getting  your  teeth'  into  a 
course  of  study.  It  is  more  even  than  enabling  the 
younger  prisoners  to  continue  their  education  and 
keep  up  in  the  race  with  their  more  fortunate  coevals. 
The  iron  has  entered  into  the  soul  of  many,  or  most, 
of  these  men.  To  provide  them  with  the  means  of 
hard  work  for  the  mind  may  be  to  do  more  than 
enable  them  to  win  some  profit  out  of  calamity.  It 
may  be  to  affect  their  whole  attitude  toward  life,  the 
future  tone  and  temper  of  their  minds  and  spirits. 
It  may  be  to  bring  them  back  to  us  full  of  vitality  and 
gladness,  not  embittered  and  despairing;  to  save  for 
cheerfulness  and  happy,  hopeful  work  in  the  world 
what  else  might  have  been  irremediably  lost.  Of  all 
the  existing  schemes  for  the  relief  of  prisoners,  military 
and  civil,  this  is  surely  the  most  beneficent." 

"It  is  not  a  mere  provision  of  recreation,"  writes 


112     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED     STUDIES 

Professor  Gilbert  Murray.  "Recreation  is  important, 
no  doubt,  but  it  is  supplied  without  much  difficulty 
wherever  a  number  of  young  Britons  are  gathered 
together.  The  Scheme  is  a  plan  for  providing  interest- 
ing and  purposeful  occupation  to  men  for  whom  such 
occupation  is  a  matter  of  vital  necessity.  There  are 
thousands  of  our  captive  fellow-countrymen  who  can 
face  death  and  endure  suffering  with  almost  incredible 
fortitude,  but  may  be  unable  to  resist  the  slow  de- 
moralization of  prison  life  with  no  steady  purpose  to 
look  forward  to  and  no  distraction  to  make  them  forget 
their  food-buckets  and  their  jailers." 

A  letter  of  appreciation  signed  by  some  eighty  men 
of  letters  was  presented  Feb.  27,  191 7,  to  the  President 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  the  Right  Honorable 
H.  A.  L.  Fisher,  M.P.  "That  some  tens  of  thousands 
of  books,"  it  said,  "among  them  the  latest  and  best 
works  in  a  variety  of  languages  and  on  a  great  number 
of  subjects  —  the  arts  and  sciences,  technology,  navi- 
gation, commerce,  and  various  industries  —  should 
have  been  collected  or  purchased  and  distributed 
gratis  to  the  recipients  and  without  any  charge  to  the 
Public  Exchequer  is  a  work  so  meritorious  that  we 
feel  it  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass  without  some 
acknowledgment  on  our  part.  The  fact  that  it  forms 
no  part  of  the  ordinary  activities  of  a  Government 
department  but  is  noncombatant  service  of  an  original 
character  in  connection  with  the  war  which  has  been 
voluntarily  initiated  and  successfully  carried  through, 
in  addition  to  their  ordinary  duties  and  in  the  face  of 
serious  difficulties,  by  civil  servants  and  other  vol- 
untary helpers,  only  serves,  in  our  view,  to  enhance 
its  value  as  well  as  to  increase  our  sense  of  indebted- 
ness, which  extends  both  to  the  officers  and  helpers 


BRITISH     PRISONERS     OF     WAR        n3 

referred  to  as  well  as  to  the  Board  of  Education,  which, 
by  providing  the  requisite  accommodation,  has  made 
the  enterprise  possible." 

There  is  abundant  testimony  of  the  appreciation  of 
the  work  from  the  camps,  from  the  relatives  of  pris- 
oners, and  from  both  the  army  and  navy.  The  Camp 
Librarian  at  Doeberitz  writes  that  since  early  in  191 5 
they  had  a  splendid  general  library,  but  that  they  had 
lacked  educational  books  until  application  had  been 
made  to  the  British  Prisoners  of  War  Book  Scheme. 
He  adds  that  since  then  there  has  been  no  case  where 
an  expressed  want  has  not  been  supplied,  immaterial 
of  what  branch  of  trade  or  study  was  concerned. 
"  I  can  assure  you  there  will  be  many  a  man  who  will 
leave  captivity  better  educated  than  he  entered  it, 
thanks  to  your  scheme  of  sending  out  books,"  is  the 
word  from  Cassel. 

Up  to  September,  191 7,  two  hundred  camps  had 
been  supplied  with  books,  for  which  65oo  requests  had 
been  received  from  prisoners.  The  number  of  parcels 
sent  out  in  response  to  such  requests  approximated 
75oo,  containing  43,700  volumes.  The  stock  on  the 
shelves  at  South  Kensington  contains  at  least  12,000 
volumes.  The  cost  was  about  £25o,  five-sixths  of 
which  is  represented  by  purchases  of  books. 

The  best  idea  of  the  intellectual  side  of  life  at  Ruhle- 
ben  Camp  can  be  had  from  reading  the  volume  edited 
by  Douglas  Sladen:  "In  Ruhleben;  Letters  from  a 
Prisoner  to  his  Mother"  (London,  Hurst  &  Blackett, 
191 7).  Bishop  Bury,  who  visited  the  camp  officially, 
said  that  there  was  so  much  studying  going  on  that  he 
called  it  the  University  of  Ruhleben.  The  writer  of 
the  letters  is  an  anonymous  young  university  under- 
graduate of  the  type  responsible  for  the  class-spirit  of 


Il4     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED     STUDIES 

Ruhleben.  On  the  second  day  in  camp  he  was  intro- 
duced into  a  little  group  which  read  Bergson's  "Le 
Rire"  under  the  most  extraordinary  conditions.  He 
taught  an  intermediate  French  class,  the  pupils  rang- 
ing from  a  sailor  to  a  graduate  of  Aberdeen  University. 
He  read  Schiller's  plays  with  a  few  comrades,  and  he 
himself  worked  through  the  Theaetetus  of  Plato.  He 
also  helped  a  couple  of  men  with  some  elementary 
Latin  and  was  planning  to  take  one  of  them  in  Greek. 

Some  of  the  London  newspapers  occasionally  find 
their  way  into  the  camp.  How  they  get  there  no  one 
knows  officially,  but  their  much  bethumbed  and 
ragged  appearance  after  they  have  made  the  round  of 
the  camp  shows  how  welcome  is  current  news  of  the 
outside  world.  Mr.  Israel  Cohen  says  that  up  to 
April,  19 1 5,  the  Berliner  Zeitung  am  Mittag  was  the 
sole  official  channel  of  information  as  to  current  events. 
When  newspapers  were  used  as  wrappings  of  parcels 
sent  to  prisoners  they  were  rigorously  removed  by  the 
guards  at  the  parcels  office  before  the  parcels  were 
given  to  the  addressees.  But  in  the  summer  of  191 5 
the  authorities  relaxed  and  permitted  the  sale  of  the 
Berliner  Tageblatt,  the  Vossische  Zeitung,  the  Berliner 
Illustrierte  Zeitung  and  the  Woche. 

The  interned  men  publish  a  magazine,  In  Ruhleben 
Camp,  in  which  are  reflected  the  various  currents  of 
thought  among  the  prisoners.  One  Philistine  sneered 
about  every  one  wanting  to  learn  several  languages  at 
once.  "I  do  not  suppose,"  said  he,  "there  is  a  single 
man  in  the  camp  who  cannot  ask  you  how  you  feel, 
how  you  felt  yesterday,  in  half  a  dozen  different 
languages,  but  I  doubt  if  there  are  more  than  ten  who 
can  say  what  is  wrong  with  them  in  three."  The 
Debating  Society  discussed  such  subjects  as  "Resolved, 


BRITISH     PRISONERS     OF     WAR        n5 

that  concentration  camps  are  an  essentially  retro- 
gressive feature  of  warfare";  "That  bachelors  be 
taxed"  (the  meeting  deciding  wholeheartedly  that 
bachelorhood  was  enough  of  a  tax  itself,  since  they 
had  lived  in  an  enforced  state  of  bachelorhood  from 
the  opening  of  the  camp);  "That  the  metric  system 
be  introduced  into  Great  Britain,"  which  fell  through 
because  no  speaker  could  be  found  to  oppose  it.  Whit- 
taker's  Almanac  gives  125  denominations  and  multiples 
of  anything  from  5|  to  112  which  one  is  supposed  to 
know  something  about  if  he  wishes  to  keep  in  touch 
with  the  commerce  of  the  world.  The  only  man 
reputed  to  have  mastered  the  English  system  lived  to 
a  great  age  and  died  just  as  he  completed  his  knowledge. 
The  committee  in  charge  of  the  British  Prisoners  of 
War  Book  Scheme  is  considering  a  plan  whereby 
released  prisoners  in  poor  circumstances,  and  especially 
those  living  in  rural  districts  and  remote  parts  of  the 
British  Isles,  will  be  able  to  obtain  the  loan,  for  pur- 
poses of  study,  of  books  which  they  cannot  afford  to 
buy,  and  which  they  cannot  borrow  from  a  near-by 
public  library.  It  is  hoped  that  as  an  outcome  of  the 
committee's  efforts  a  large  lending  library  will  be 
established  for  the  benefit  of  the  released  British 
prisoners  and  victims  of  the  war,  operated  possibly  in 
connection  with  some  already  existing  library  as  a 
center. 


Il6     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 


5.    THE   MILITARY   HOSPITAL,  ENDELL   STREET, 

LONDON 

The  Military  Hospital  in  Endell  street,  London,  is 
the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  England  officered  entirely 
by  women.  The  staff  includes  fourteen  doctors, 
thirty-six  nursing  sisters  and  ninety  orderlies.  In 
the  spring  of  191 5  when  preparations  were  being 
made  for  the  reception  of  the  wounded  sent  back 
from  the  front,  two  well-known  literary  women,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Robins  and  Miss  Beatrice  Harraden,  were 
invited  to  act  as  honorary  librarians.  They  were 
asked  to  collect  suitable  books  and  magazines,  and 
by  personal  intercourse  with  the  soldiers  to  encour- 
age them  to  read.  Their  task  was  to  help  the  men 
through  their  long  hours  of  illness  by  providing 
reading  matter  that  would  interest  and  amuse  them. 
In  a  recent  article  in  the  Cornhill  Magazine,  Miss 
Harraden  says  that  from  the  outset  it  seemed  an 
interesting  project,  but  nothing  like  so  stimulating 
and  gratifying  as  it  has  proved  to  be.  It  has  shown 
the  truth  of  the  maxim  that  reading  is  to  the  mind 
what  medicine  is  to  the  body. 

They  began  by  writing  to  their  publisher  friends, 
who  generously  sent  large  consignments  of  fiction, 
travel  and  biography,  and  hundreds  of  magazines. 
Authors  also  willingly  came  to  their  aid.  A  lady 
presented  a  dignified  and  imposing  bookcase,  which 
was  placed  in  the  recreation  room,  giving  an  outward 
and  visible  sign  of  the  official  existence  of  a  library. 
Other  bookcases  were  given  and  were  soon  filled. 
The  librarians  were  "still  engaged  in  the  heavy  task 


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THE     MILITARY     HOSPITAL  117 

of  sorting  and  rejecting  literally  shoals  of  all  sorts 
and  conditions  of  books,  when  suddenly  the  hospital 
was  opened  and  the  men  arrived  from  the  front.  It 
was  remarkable  what  private  people  did  send  —  and 
do  still  send.  It  was  as  if  they  had  said  to  themselves: 
'  Here  is  a  grand  opportunity  of  getting  rid  of  all  of  our 
old,  dirty,  heavy  book  encumbrances!'  Miss  Harraden 
says  that  she  does  not  recall  ever  having  been  so  dirty 
or  so  indignant.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  constantly 
on  hand  a  number  of  sacks  in  which  all  surplus 
matter  was  despatched  to  one  of  the  war  libraries 
or  to  the  Salvation  Army,  which  disposed  of  useless 
books  and  papers  for  pulp  making.  But  to  offset 
this  there  were  the  people  who  with  generosity  and 
understanding  sent  new  books  or  money  with  which 
to  buy  needed  volumes. 

It  was  early  decided  to  have  no  red  tape.  The 
bookcases  were  left  unlocked  at  all  times  so  as  to  en- 
able the  men  who  used  the  room  to  go  to  the  shelves 
and  pick  out  what  they  liked.  The  librarians  took 
books  into  the  wards  to  the  men  who  were  confined 
to  their  beds.  After  various  experiments,  Miss  Har- 
raden and  Miss  Robins  divided  the  wards  between 
them  and  made  the  rounds  with  note-book  in  hand, 
finding  out  whether  the  soldier  cared  to  read  and  if 
so  what  kind  of  thing  he  was  likely  to  want.  This 
mental  probing  had  to  be  done  without  worrying 
the  patient,  for  in  some  cases  the  thought  of  a  book 
was  apparently  more  terrifying  than  the  idea  of  a 
bomb.  In  such  cases,  a  smoke  served  as  a  substi- 
tute for  reading,  to  which  generally  speaking  it  was 
a  natural  concomitant. 

There  were  some  patients  who  had  never  learned 
to  read.    With  one  exception  these  men  were  miners. 


Il8     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED     STUDIES 

Men  who  were  not  naturally  readers  acquired  the 
reading  habit  while  in  the  hospital.  Many  of  the 
men  when  they  were  well  enough  to  become  out- 
patients asked  permission  for  continued  use  of  the 
library.  It  was  a  source  of  much  pleasure  to  the 
librarians  to  see  old  patients  stroll  into  the  recreation 
room  and  pick  out  for  themselves  a  book  by  an  author 
with  whom  they  had  become  acquainted  in  their  early 
days  at  the  hospital. 

A  glance  through  the  order  books  will  show  the 
type  of  popular  reading  chosen  by  the  patients.  Tak- 
ing the  order  books  at  random,  but  the  entries  con- 
secutively, we  get  a  list  like  the  following  which  will 
give  some  idea  of  the  result  of  the  pilgrimages  from 
one  bedside  to  another,  and  from  one  ward  to  the  next : 

One  of  Nat  Gould's  novels. 

Regiments  at  the  Front. 

Burns's  poems. 

A  book  on  bird  life. 

The  Last  Days  of  Pompeii. 

Strand  Magazine. 

Strand  Magazine. 

Wide  World  Magazine. 

The  Spectator. 

A  scientific  book. 

Reviews  of  Reviews. 

By  the  Wish  of  a  Woman  (Marchmont). 

One  of  Rider  Haggard's. 

Marie  Corelli. 

Nat  Gould. 

Rider  Haggard. 

Nat  Gould. 

Nat  Gould. 

Nat  Gould. 

Good  detective  story. 

Something  to  make  you  laugh. 

Strand  Magazine. 

Adventure  story. 

Tale  of  Two  Cities. 


THE     MILITARY     HOSPITAL  119 

Gil  Bias. 

Browning's  poems. 

Tolstoi's  Resurrection. 

Sexton  Blake. 

Handy  Andy  (Lover). 

Kidnapped. 

Treasure  Island. 

Book  about  rose  growing. 

Montezuma's  Daughter  (Haggard). 

Prisoner  of  Zenda. 

Macaulay's  Essays. 

The  Magnetic  North  (Robins). 

Nat  Gould. 

Sexton  Blake. 

Modern  high  explosives. 

Dawn  (Haggard). 

Wild  animals. 

Book  on  horse-breaking. 

Radiography. 

Some  of  the  men  showed  an  anxiety  to  have  a 
book  waiting  for  them  after  an  operation,  so  that 
they  might  begin  to  read  it  and  forget  some  of  their 
pains  if  possible.  In  some  cases  the  patient  would 
choose  the  author  or  the  subject  before  going  through 
his  ordeal. 

The  popular  periodicals  play  a  great  part  in  this 
work  with  the  soldiers.  Those  most  in  demand  are 
The  Strand,  The  Windsor,  The  Red,  Pearson's,  The 
Wide  World,  and  of  course  John  Bull,  which  the 
average  soldier  looks  upon  as  a  sort  of  gospel.  New 
arrivals  from  the  trenches  are  cheered  up  at  once  by 
the  very  sight  of  the  well-known  cover,  says  Miss 
Harraden.  Even  if  too  ill  to  read  it,  they  like  to 
have  it  near  them,  ready  for  the  moment  when  re- 
turning strength  gives  them  the  incentive  to  take  a 
glance  at  some  of  its  pages. 

Some  of  the  soldiers  have  decided  predilections 
for  particular  magazines  and  will  not  look  at  any  but 


120     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

their  pet  ones.  Miss  Harraden  tells  of  one  man  who 
confined  himself  entirely  to  Blackwood's  and  preferred 
a  back  number  of  that  to  the  current  number  of  any 
other  upstart  rival.  Another  was  interested  only 
in  the  Review  of  Reviews,  and  a  third  remained  loyal 
to  the  Nineteenth  Century.  "Others  have  asked 
only  for  wretched  little  rags  which  one  would  wish 
to  see  perish  off  the  face  of  the  earth.  But  as  time 
has  gone  on,  these  have  been  less  and  less  asked  for 
and  their  place  has  been  gradually  taken  by  the  Sphere, 
the  Graphic,  the  Tatter,  the  Illustrated  London  News, 
and  the  Sketch,  —  another  instance  of  a  better  class 
of  literature  being  welcomed  and  accepted  if  put 
within  easy  reach.  In  our  case  this  has  been  made 
continuously  possible  by  friends  who  have  given 
subscriptions  for  both  monthly  and  weekly  numbers, 
and  by  others  who  send  in  their  back  numbers  in 
batches,  and  by  the  publishers,  who  never  fail  us." 

The  experience  in  the  matter  of  book  selection  at 
the  Military  Hospital  bears  out  that  of  the  secretaries 
of  the  War  Library.  It  was  found  necessary  to  invest 
in  a  large  number  of  detective  stories,  and  of  books 
by  Charles  Garvice,  Oppenheim  and  Nat  Gould.  A 
certain  type  of  man  would  be  satisfied  with  nothing 
but  Nat  Gould.  No  matter  how  badly  off  he  was,  the 
suggestion  of  a  book  by  his  favorite  author  would 
bring  a  smile  to  his  face.  Miss  Harraden  says  that 
she  has  often  heard  the  whispered  words:  "A  Nat 
Gould  —  ready  for  when  I'm  better." 

But  if  one  man  were  reading  Nat  Gould's  "Jockey 
Jack"  —  a  great  favorite  —  the  man  in  the  next 
bed  might  just  as  likely  as  not  be  reading  Shakespeare, 
or  "The  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  or  Shelley,  or  Meredith, 
or  Conrad,  or  a  volume  of  the  Everyman's  Encyclo- 


THE     MILITARY     HOSPITAL  121 

psedia  which  was  contributed  by  Mr.  Dent  on  request. 
A  subscription  to  Mudie's  helped  out  a  great  deal. 

Curiosity  prompted  an  inquiry  as  to  why  a  certain 
reader  who  seemed  most  unpromising  should  ask 
for  "  The  Last  Days  of  Pompeii."  It  turned  out  that  he 
had  seen  the  story  in  a  picture  theatre.  He  became 
literally  riveted  to  the  book  until  he  had  finished  it 
and  then  he  passed  it  on  to  his  neighbor  as  a  real  find. 
Another  soldier  who  had  been  introduced  through 
film-land  to  "Much  Ado  About  Nothing"  asked  for 
the  book,  which  was  the  first  of  several  volumes  of 
Shakespeare  to  go  to  his  bedside. 

The  New  Zealanders  and  Australians  are  always 
keen  on  books  about  England.  They  ask  also  for  their 
own  poets  and  for  Bushranger  stories. 

Although  the  librarians  never  attempted  to  force  good 
books  on  the  soldiers,  they  took  pains  to  have  them 
within  reach.  They  found  that  when  the  men  once 
began  on  a  better  class  of  literature  they  did  not 
ordinarily  return  to  the  old  stuff,  which  had  formerly 
constituted  their  whole  range  of  reading.  Miss  Harra- 
den  believes  that  the  average  soldier  reads  rubbish 
because  he  has  had  no  one  to  tell  him  what  to  read. 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson  has  lifted  many  of  the  patients 
in  this  hospital  to  a  higher  plane  of  reading,  from 
which  they  have  looked  down  with  something  like  scorn 
on  their  former  favorites.  In  more  ways  than  one, 
'Treasure  Island"  has  been  a  discovery  for  the  soldiers, 
and  an  unspeakable  boon  to  the  librarians. 

The  men  who  will  read  nothing  but  good  literature 
are  by  no  means  a  negligible  quantity.  Shakespeare 
has  his  ardent  devotees  in  this  hospital.  Current 
books  which  have  aroused  public  interest  were  gener- 
ously provided  by  the  publishers.     An  endeavor  was 


122     WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

made  to  supply  not  only  standard  works,  but  books  of 
the  moment  bearing  on  the  war.  Books  on  aeroplanes, 
submarines  and  wireless  telegraphy  were  much  in 
demand  even  before  special  attention  was  paid  to 
technical  subjects.  Books  dealing  with  wild  animals 
and  their  habits  are  always  great  favorites. 

One  day  the  librarians  were  asked  for  a  particular 
book  on  high  explosives.  They  hesitated  about  spend- 
ing eighteen  shillings  to  meet  a  single  request,  but  on 
referring  the  matter  to  the  doctor  in  charge  they  were 
told  to  go  ahead  and  buy  not  only  that  but  any  other 
special  books  that  seemed  to  be  wanted.  This  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  finding  out  just  what  special  sub- 
jects the  men  were  interested  in,  what  their  occupations 
had  been  before  the  war,  what  their  plans  for  the  future 
were.  Thenceforth  the  work  of  the  librarians  became 
tenfold  more  interesting.  To  a  certain  extent  it 
became  constructive  inasmuch  as  it  was  helping  to 
equip  the  men  for  their  return  to  active  life  when  they 
should  be  taking  up  some  particular  art  or  craft  as  a 
means  of  livelihood. 

In  came  requests  for  books  on  aeroplanes;  archi- 
tecture; cabinet  making  and  old  furniture;  chemistry, 
organic  and  inorganic;  coal  mining;  drawing  and 
painting;  electricity;  engineering  in  its  various 
branches;  fish  curing;  gardening  and  forestry;  lan- 
guages; meteorology;  music;  paper  making;  printing; 
submarines;  veterinary  medicine;  violin  making,  and 
so  on.  The  soldier  who  asked  for  the  book  on  fish 
curing  was  from  Nova  Scotia,  and  fish  curing  was  his 
father's  business.  The  son  wanted  to  learn  the  English 
method  and  gain  all  the  information  he  could  about 
the  subject  while  in  England,  before  he  was  sent  back 
home.    A  book  on  Sheffield  plate  was  lent  to  the  hospi- 


THE     MILITARY     HOSPITAL  123 

tal  library  by  an  antiquary  and  proved  to  be  a  veri- 
table godsend  to  a  crippled  soldier  who  had  been  a 
second-hand  dealer  before  the  war  and  who  considered 
it  a  rare  chance  that  had  thrown  that  book  in  his 
way.  He  made  copious  notes  from  it  which  he  said 
would  be  invaluable  to  him  afterwards. 

"Our  experiences,"  concludes  Miss  Harraden,  "have 
tended  to  show  that  a  library  department  organized 
and  run  by  people  who  have  some  knowledge  of  books 
might  prove  to  be  a  useful  asset  in  any  hospital,  both 
military  and  civil,  and  be  the  means  of  affording  not 
only  amusement  and  distraction,  but  even  definite 
education,  induced  of  course,  not  insisted  on.  To 
obtain  satisfactory  results  it  would  seem,  however, 
that  even  a  good  and  carefully  chosen  collection  of 
books  of  all  kinds  does  not  suffice.  In  addition,  an 
official  librarian  is  needed  who  will  supply  the  initia- 
tive, which  in  the  circumstances  is  of  necessity  lacking, 
and  whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  the  wards,  study  the 
temperaments,  inclinations,  and  possibilities  of  the 
patients  and  thus  find  out  by  direct  personal  inter- 
course what  will  arouse,  help,  stimulate,  lift  —  and 
heal." 


Photo  by  Paul  Thompson 

43.   LIBRARY   IN   HOTEL  EARLINGTON,   NEW   YORK  CITY 

Maintained  by  the  War  Camp  Community  Service  for  enlisted  men  and 
officers  in  both  branches  of  the  service 


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BOOKS  AND   BULLETS 


i 
III.    BOOKS  AND   BULLETS 

I.      MILITARY   HOSPITAL   LIBRARIES 

IN  the  shell-shock  ward  of  a  huge  military  hospital 
outside  of  London,  I  came  across  a  young  fellow 
doing  a  bit  of  wood  carving.     There  was  a  look  in 
his  face  which  invited  a  chat.     Pausing  beside  him 
I  asked,  "How  long  have  you  been  here?" 

"Oh-h,  a-about  a-ay-year,"  he  stuttered.  "W-when 
I  c-came,  I  c-couldn't  t-talk  at  all.  N-now  I  c-can 
t-talk  p-pretty  w-well." 

"Indeed  you  can,"  said  I  with  cheerful  mendacity. 
"Tell  me,  are  you  married?" 

"N-no,"  said  he.  "I  w-was  g-going  b-back  to 
Da-akota  t-to  m-marry  a  g-girl  t-there,  b-but  a  N-nor- 
wegian  c-cut  m-me  out." 

"That  was  too  bad,"  I  sympathized,  "but  you  must 
remember  that  every  cloud  has  its  silver  lining." 

"O-hh,"  he  replied  with  the  utmost  serenity,  "I 
d-don't  mind.  I  t- think  h-he  d-did  m-me  a  jolly  good 
t-turnr 

My  attention  was  arrested  a  few  minutes  later  by 
a  young  man,  the  very  personification  of  gloom,  who 
held  his  head  in  both  hands  and  stared  at  the  floor. 
After  a  little  hesitation  I  went  up  to  him  and  offered 
him  a  smoke.  There  was  a  slight  flicker  of  animation 
as  he  accepted  it.  "How  long  have  you  been  here," 
I  inquired. 

"I  don't  know,"  he  replied  listessly. 

With  the  hope  of  penetrating  his  apathy  I  ventured 
further,  "What  is  the  last  thing  you  remember  before 

127 


128      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

you  came  here?"  His  face  lighted  up  instantly  and 
he  gave  me  an  interesting  and  graphic  account  of  the 
advance  in  which  he  was  knocked  out. 

As  I  listened  I  wondered  if  his  were  not  the  kind  of 
case  which  would  respond  to  the  cheering  influence  of 
good  illustrated  magazines.  Books  that  take  the  mind 
off  the  war  are  frequently  prescribed  by  the  physi- 
cians, and  selected  reading  of  a  crisp  bright  variety 
should  prove  helpful. 

To  these  poor  broken  lads  some  author  may  be  able 
to  say: 

You  will  hardly  know  who  I  am,  or  what  I  mean; 
But  I  will  be  health  to  you  nevertheless 
And  filter  and  fiber  your  blood. 

After  a  man  is  carried  off  the  field,  his  mind  keeps 
reverting  to  the  horrors  he  has  experienced.  Better 
than  anything  else  is  the  power  to  make  him  forget 
what  is  behind  him,  —  and,  what  is  probably  before 
him.  One  of  the  worst  phases  of  hospital  life,  after 
the  agony  of  pain  has  been  relieved,  is  the  boredom  of 
being  confined  to  one's  bed.  A  shattered  arm  or  an 
infected  leg  can  keep  a  man  in  bed  for  months  without 
any  actual  pain  and  his  main  problem  is  how  to  get 
through  the  day.  Life's  enthusiasms  are  at  a  low 
ebb  and  despondency  waits  upon  him.  That  is  the 
time  when  a  game,  a  scrap-book,  or  something  to 
read,  will  be  of  the  greatest  use  in  helping  him  to  live 
up  to  the  sentiment  of  his  favorite  song,  "Pack  up 
your  troubles  in  your  old  kit  bag  and  smile,  smile, 
smile."  A  good  story  may  divert  his  thoughts  and 
save  him  from  "hospitalitis." 

Stories  are  sometimes  better  than  doctors.  During 
the  Civil  War,  a  visitor  at  a  military  hospital  in  Wash- 
ington, heard  an  occupant  of  one  of  the  beds  laughing 


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MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES     129 

and  talking  about  President  Lincoln,  who  had  been 
there  a  short  time  before  and  had  gladdened  the 
wounded  with  some  of  his  stories.  The  soldier  seemed 
in  such  good  spirits  that  the  Visitor  said:  "You  must 
be  very  slightly  wounded?"  "Yes,"  replied  the 
brave  fellow,  "very  slightly.  I  have  only  lost  one 
leg  and  I  should  be  glad  enough  to  lose  the  other,  if 
I  could  hear  some  more  of  Old  Abe's  stories." 

In  most  British  hospitals  there  was  until  recently 
no  general  supervision  of  the  books  apportioned  to 
the  various  wards.  The  overworked  nurses  did  what 
they  could  to  keep  the  volumes  in  order,  but  there  was 
no  central  control  and  there  was  no  system  of  exchange 
between  different  wards.  While  one  ward  might  have 
an  oversupply  of  Nat  Goulds  and  no  copies  of  Conan 
Doyle,  the  neighboring  ward  might  have  an  over- 
supply  of  Conan  Doyle  with  an  insistent  call  for  Nat 
Gould,  which  they  could  not  meet.  The  nursing  staff 
was  much  too  busy  to  even  things  up. 

In  August,  191 7,  Lady  Brassey  initiated  a  system 
of  library  control.  She  visited  personally  a  number  of 
the  leading  military  hospitals  in  the  London  command 
and  secured  the  approval  of  a  plan  of  installing  libra- 
rians. The  latter  secured  assistants  who  interviewed 
the  nurses  in  charge  of  the  wards,  assured  them  of  her 
disinterestedness,  apologizing  in  some  cases  for  what 
seemed  like  an  intrusive  visit,  and  by  the  exercise  of 
tact  and  patience,  secured  the  cooperation  of  the  sis- 
ters. The  books  found  in  the  different  hospitals 
were  catalogued  and  were  distributed  to  the  wards  on 
an  equal  basis.  Worthless  and  worn-out  books  were 
discarded  and  sold  for  old  paper  at  the  high  English 
rate  of  £i3  per  ton.  Placards  were  posted  up  and  the 
neighborhood  circularized  for  gifts. 


l3o      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

"The  initial  steps  of  organizing  libraries  are  the 
hardest  in  most  cases,"  writes  Lady  Brassey,  "as  you 
are  looked  upon  with  suspicion  as  a  busybody  who 
wants  to  get  a  footing  in  the  Field  hospital.  I  had  to 
get  an  order  from  the  A.  D.  M.  S.  before  going  to  any 
hospital.  He  warned  them  I  should  pay  a  visit. 
Even  then  I  was  received  with  suspicion,  and  some- 
times with  positive  discourtesy.  I  don't  blame  the 
0.  C.'s  and  matrons,  as  I  know  how  they  are  pestered 
with  women  offering  'to  help  the  dear  men.'  The 
dear  men  I  know  very  often  wish  those  kind,  well- 
meaning  ladies  back  in  their  own  homes,  to  put  it 
mildly.  However,  after  a  little  talk,  the  0.  C.'s  usually 
realize  that  I  am  there  to  help  the  men  and  not  to 
please  myself.  They  usually  begin  by  telling  me,  that 
in  this  particular  hospital,  the  men  dont  like  reading, 
or  that  the  men  have  an  ample  supply.  I  ignore 
those  remarks  and  proceed  to  tell  him  very  shortly 
about  the  work  of  the  War  Library.  He  then  usually 
rings  for  the  matron  —  in  some  cases  to  protect  him- 
self; in  others,  because  he  is  getting  interested  and 
sees  that  the  hospital  may  be  benefited."  After 
giving  assurances  that  what  she  proposes  is  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  lady  librarian  who  shall  visit  the 
hospital  only  at  the  hours  agreed  upon  by  the  matron, 
the  suggestion  has  been  warmly  received  and  some  one 
has  been  duly  appointed.  "In  other  cases  I  could 
see  that  it  was  already  being  well  done  and  fortunately 
there  was  nothing  more  to  be  said.  In  yet  other 
cases,  and  these  are  the  heart-breaking  ones,  I  was 
told  that  the  men  really  had  as  much  reading  as  was 
good  for  them.  This  I  knew  was  not  the  case,  as  we 
had  constant  testimony  at  the  War  Library  from 
private  visitors  that  the  men  clamored  for  books. 


MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES     l3l 

However,  when  this  happens,  I  have  to  retire  grace- 
fully and  thank  the  0.  C.  for  telling  me  what  I  know  is 
an  untruth,  —  but  you  can't  force  your  way  in.  In 
the  hospitals  where  we  have  appointed  librarians, 
the  gratitude  of  the  men  is  touching." 

At  the  Second  London  General  Hospital,  Chelsea, 
Lady  Brassey  was  given  the  use  of  an  empty  school- 
house,  which  she  fitted  up  with  book  shelves,  writing 
tables  and  chairs.  In  addition  to  books  from  the  War 
Library,  there  was  a  generous  supply  of  books  from 
various  sources.  A  general  catalogue  was  made  of 
all  the  books  in  the  hospital  and  a  separate  one  for 
each  ward.  After  a  time,  Lady  Brassey  became 
doubtful  as  to  whether  the  separate  catalogue  for 
each  ward  was  worth  while,  as  the  men  who  are  able 
to  be  up  and  about  can  take  out  books  for  themselves 
and  the  bedridden  ones  can  be  looked  after  by  the 
librarian  or  by  some  of  the  patients,  who  are  exceed- 
ingly considerate  of  each  other.  "It's  astonishing 
the  books  the  Tommies  ask  for  —  ranging  from 
Sophocles  to  Nat  Gould.  I  don't  say  that  the  latter 
is  not  more  frequently  asked  for  than  the  former.  Nat 
Gould  is  very  popular,  but  they  do  like  good  reading 
to  a  very  great  extent,  and  when  a  man  is  debating 
as  to  what  he  wants  to  read,  you  can  often  persuade 
him  to  try  something  good.  What  I  enjoy  is  to  see 
the  men  coming  into  the  library  of  their  own  accord 
and  looking  for  a  book  to  suit  them  and  to  have  a 
little  chat.  The  picture  papers  are  a  great  delight. 
Testaments  are  very  readily  taken." 

The  Third  London  General  Hospital  at  Wandsworth 
was  opened  in  August,  iqi4-  It  has  2000  beds  and  is 
one  of  the  largest  military  hospitals  in  Great  Britain. 
From   the   start,   the   Commanding   Officer   and   the 


l3a      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Matron  resolved  that  the  hospital  should  (as  far  as 
possible)  be  a  cheerful  memory  for  the  patients. 
Every  week-day  there  is  a  concert  at  which  some  of 
the  best  London  talent  is  provided.  Boxing  men 
and  professional  bilhard  players  give  exhibitions  to 
the  great  delight  of  the  patients,  and  during  the  sum- 
mer athletic  contests  are  held.  The  literary  needs 
of  the  men  have  not  been  overlooked.  While  the 
supply  of  books  comes  mainly  from  the  War  Library, 
gifts  of  considerable  value  are  received  from  generous 
publishers  and  literary  friends.  Recently  a  large 
box  came  from  Mrs.  Rudyard  Kipling,  and  all  the 
books  in  it  written  by  her  husband  were  borrowed 
from  the  shelves  within  twenty-four  hours. 

Each  ward  has  a  three  or  four  shelf  bookcase.  A 
typed  and  bound  catalogue  of  the  entire  library  is 
exhibited  in  three  different  parts  of  the  hospital. 

"The  handy  cheap  editions  favored  by  the  men 
have  covers  that  possess  limitations  in  wear  and  tear," 
writes  Mr.  W.  Pett  Ridge,  who  is  honorary  librarian. 
"The  state  of  a  ninepenny  novel  after  a  month  or 
two  of  use  is  often  a  compliment  to  its  author,  and 
a  reproach  to  the  binder.  I  observe  that  Jack  Lon- 
don's novels  have  a  short  life,  and  a  busy  one.  Mere- 
dith Nicholson's  works,  by  reason  of  their  popularity, 
come  at  frequent  intervals  to  be  added  to  the  mound 
of  waste  paper.  The  delightful  novels  by  Alice 
Hegan  Rice  go  from  hand  to  hand,  strenuously  recom- 
mended by  the  last  borrower.  I  transferred  (not 
without  reluctance)  my  own  collection  of  the  books 
by  Mr.  Dooley,  and  their  present  state  may  be  de- 
scribed as  war-worn.  The  men  love  'Audrey'  and 
all  the  rest  from  the  great  pen  of  Mary  Johnston. 
As  to  British  authors,  affection  is  given  to  those  who 


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MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES     l33 

write  books  of  adventure,  or  books  that  include  a 
reference  to  sport,  or  books  which  are  not  devoid  of 
the  element  of  humor. 

"'For  the  Lord's  sake,'  beg  most  of  my  blue  uni- 
formed customers,  'don't  you  dare  give  us  one  that 
mentions  the  war!' 

"  My  own  view,  —  given  for  what  it  may  be  worth, 
—  is  that  the  patient  should  be  encouraged  to  read 
anything  likely  to  induce  a  yearning  to  get  back 
again  to  the  atmosphere  of  normal  health.  If  he  can 
be  taken,  for  an  hour,  into  a  world  where  the  women 
are  good  (but  not  too  good)  and  undeniably  beautiful; 
where  horses  win  races,  by  a  short  head;  where  hero- 
ines write  plays  that  have  an  immediate  and  terrific 
success;  where  uncles  go  to  the  Colonies  for  no  other 
reason,  apparently,  than  that  of  amassing  fortunes  to 
be  left  in  the  very  nick  of  time  to  deserving  young 
relatives  at  home,  then  the  reader  is  likely  to  share  the 
task  of  the  doctors  and  nurses,  and  determine  to  lose 
no  time  in  getting  well.  A  great  tribute  to  writers 
comes  when  a  man  returns  one  of  their  books,  and 
says:  'I'll  have  another,  if  you  don't  mind,  by  the 
self -same  party !' 

"Our  men  from  over-seas  are  the  men  for  standard 
authors.  I  have  an  idea  that  they  often,  in  the  past, 
wanted  to  read  Scott,  Dickens,  Thackeray  and  Jane 
Austen,  but  time  and  opportunity  never  came  together. 
Now,  with  the  leisure  imposed  by  hospital  rules,  they 
begin  the  task  with  eagerness.  I  received  last  week 
a  glorious  present  of  a  complete  set  of  Dickens  in  the 
Gadshill  edition,  —  noble  volumes,  scarlet  bound, 
and  a  delight  to  look  at  and  handle.  The  previous 
owner  —  but  this  is  a  question  to  be  settled  between 
himself  and   his   Maker  —  had   not   cut   the   pages  I 


l34      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

To-day,  each  book  shows  evidence  of  close  attention. 
We  can  arrange,  if  required  to  do  so,  in  connection  with 
the  War  Pensions  Committee,  for  technical  works 
of  a  special  character  to  be  obtained,  and  supplied  to 
men  who  wish  to  carry  on  preparation  for  some  civil 
career.  Now  and  again,  we  are  asked  for  one  of  the 
classics.  Young  officers  demand  poetry,  and  cannot 
get  too  much  of  it;  they  read  John  Masefield,  and 
Henry  Newbolt,  and  Yeats.  Privately  I  suspect 
many  of  them  of  an  experiment  in  this  medium,  and 
an  attempt  to  set  down  in  verse  the  marvelous  occur- 
rences and  sensations  that  have  come  to  them,  out 
Flanders  way.  I  wish  the  lads,  with  all  my  heart, 
the  best  of  luck  in  their  new  and  difficult  emprise. 

"For  myself,  I  have  known  in  many  long  years  the 
pleasure  of  writing  books;  I  now  recognize  the  hap- 
piness that  can  be  found  in  circulating  them.  I  pass 
on  the  discovery  for  the  benefit  of  my  colleagues  and 
contemporaries  in  America  who  happen  to  be,  like 
myself,  past  the  fighting  age,  but  not  arrived  at  the 
years  when  one  is  content  to  fold  hands  and  do  noth- 
ing. The  work  I  do  at  the  Third  London  General 
Hospital,  trifling  contribution  as  it  is,  represents  a  joy 
to  me.     I  honestly  relish  every  moment  I  give  to  it." 

Of  course,  not  all  patients  are  in  the  habit  of  reading; 
some  must  be  coaxed  to  read;  they  are  not  all  book- 
lovers.  Mr.  Ridge  tells  of  a  man  asking  him  whether 
he  could  get  "Twenty  Thousand  Leagues  under  the 
Sea."  "  I  began  it  twenty  years  ago,"  said  the  wounded 
soldier.  "I  borrowed  it  from  another  man.  Some- 
body pinched  it  from  me  when  I  was  half  way  through 
it  and  I  've  never  had  a  chance  of  getting  to  the  end 
of  it." 

Mr.  Ridge  found  the  book  and  took  it  to  him. 


MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES      l35 

"I'm  very  glad  to  have  it,"  said  the  man.  "I 
began  it  twenty  years  ago." 

"Yes,  — but  you've  read  a  large  number  of  books 
since  then,  haven't  you?" 

"Oh,  no,"  the  man  replied,  "I  never  tried  another." 

Miss  Beatrice  Harraden,  the  author  of  "Ships  that 
Pass  in  the  Night,"  was  a  forerunner  in  this  hospital 
library  work  and  has  given  an  interesting  account  of 
her  experiences  as  librarian  at  the  Military  Hospital, 
Endell  Street.  The  Grove  Hospital,  Tooting,  has  been 
"adopted"  by  a  local  Baptist  church  which  gave  as 
a  beginning  i5oo  excellent  books,  mostly  new,  ap- 
pointed a  librarian,  and  soon  doubled  its  contribution 
of  books,  provided  the  bookcases  and  prepared  a 
catalogue. 

"Let  it  be  understood,"  says  Mrs.  H.  M.  Gaskell 
in  a  recent  letter,  "that  the  soldier  who  has  been 
at  the  front  in  all  the  din  and  racket  cannot  possibly 
read  anything  of  a  solid  character  at  first,  even  when 
unwounded;  pictures  are  all  the  brain  can  bear. 
Hence  the  necessity  for  illustrated  papers.  Our 
largest  expenditure  is  on  illustrated  papers  and  maga- 
zines. A  class  of  literature  I  showed  to  you  when  you 
were  at  the  War  Library  comes  in  very  handy  for  this 
stage  —  you  did  not  seem  to  have  the  same  in  America 
—  the  penny  novelette  —  Nick  Carter  detective  stories 
(which  by  the  way  were  originally  American,  I  think). 
They  are  very  light  to  hold,  the  villain  always  gets 
punished  and  virtue  is  always  triumphant,  or  makes 
such  a  holy  end  that  you  cannot  regret  it!  There 
are  no  psychological  problems  and  perplexities.  In- 
deed, the  most  modern  novel,  which  deals  with  life 
as  it  is  and  lands  one  on  no  firm  ground,  is  not  popular 
with  the  mass.    A  tale  well  told  is  what  our  lads  need, 


l36       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

and  if  it  is  sentimental  (what  you  and  I  would  call 
sickly  sentimental)  so  much  the  better.  They  love 
Miss  Ethel  Dell  and  Marie  Corelli,  and  amongst  the 
boys  Ouida  is  a  great  favorite.  I  thoroughly  agree: 
when  my  head  is  like  cotton  wool  and  my  weary 
limbs  sink  down  by  my  own  fireside,  I  turn  to  a  novel 
by  Miss  Austen,  or  Dickens  and  an  illustrated  paper. 
Vappetit  vient  en  mangeant  in  reading  as  in  everything 
else." 

A  patient  at  the  depot  of  the  British  Red  Cross 
Society  in  Genoa,  on  returning  a  book  by  Carlyle,  said 
that  he  couldn't  make  much  of  it  and  he  warned 
another  soldier  standing  nearby  to  avoid  choosing 
Carlyle.  "That  is  the  only  kind  of  book  I  read  in 
English,"  the  soldier  replied.  "I  read  my  novels  in 
other  languages."  This  illustrates  the  variety  of 
demands  made  on  the  present-day  hospital  libraries 
and  the  necessity  for  providing  all  kinds  of  books. 

In  convalescent  camps,  and  in  reconstruction  hospi- 
tals, the  men  soon  get  nauseated  with  stories.  Their 
recovery  is  expedited  and  they  are  more  rapidly 
prepared  for  re-entering  civil  life  by  practical  courses 
of  study  and  up-to-date  text-books.  Men  in  trade 
and  professional  men  will  welcome  the  best  books  on 
their  special  subjects.  A  wounded  lawyer  patient, 
with  a  long  and  tedious  fracture  case,  asked  for  "Tar- 
mon  on  Wills"  and  the  British  War  Library  was  only 
too  glad  to  get  it  for  him. 

To  show  how  appreciative  the  men  are  of  special 
efforts  on  their  behalf,  I  give  here  several  letters  re- 
cently received  by  the  British  War  Library.  The 
first  is  from  a  man  wounded  in  the  head,  back,  right 
arm  and  neck  by  shrapnel  and  was  addressed  to 
"You  Generous  Folk  who  distribute  reading  matter": 


MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES     187 

"We  are  able  to  get  literature  here  —  but  not  the 
particular  kind  I  would  choose  at  such  a  time.  Could 
you  manage  to  get  me  some  Kipling,  please!  I  can- 
not get  pay  in  hospital  to  buy  it,  and  my  parents  are 
not  in  the  position  to  get  it  for  me  —  but  I  would  love 
some  Kipling.  It  would  be  'such  a  treat'  after 
twelve  and  a  half  months  in  France,  with  an  eight- 
inch  Howitzer  Battery. 

"Perhaps  I  am  asking  for  something  that  is  too 
expensive.  I  must  apologize  if  this  is  the  case.  It 
occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  you  might  know  of 
some  one  who  could  get  me  what  I  want. 

"  I  hope  you  will  make  an  effort  —  good  people  — 
if  you  can  do  this  I  shall  for  ever  be  grateful  to  you. 
When  one  is  in  hospital  good  turns  are  much  more 
appreciated  than  at  other  times. 

"If  you  will  let  me  know  whether  you  are  able  to 
get  me  some  Kipling  or  not  it  will  save  me  wondering. 
So  you  will  let  me  know,  won't  you  please?" 

The  following  is  from  a  patient  in  Bramshott  Hos- 
pital: 

"The  book  you  sent  —  'Many  Adventures'  — 
arrived  whilst  I  was  bad  —  too  bad  to  write  you  and 
let  you  know  it  was  here  —  because  my  right  arm  has 
been  giving  me  trouble  for  the  last  few  days.  It  is 
getting  better  now  and  I  am  able  to  write  at  last  and 
thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  —  'a  soldier's 
heart!'  —  for  your  kindness. 

"  I  commenced  reading  yesterday  —  being  unable 
to  do  so  before  —  and  I  am  enjoying  the  yarns  im- 
mensely. Thank  you  too  for  despatching  the  books 
so  promptly.  It  cheered  me — as  I  lay  abed  —  to  hear 
a  comrade  whisper  'A  book  for  you,  Gunner.'  Guess- 
ing it  was  from  you  I  resolved  to  get  well  quickly  —  for 


l38      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

I  have  looked  forward  to  some  Kipling  ever  since  my 
arrival  here. 

"If  you  wish  it,  I  will  pass  the  volume  on  when  I 
have  read  it.  But  I  would  love  to  keep  it  for  my  own 
—  and  I  would  be  only  too  willing  to  lend  it  to  any 
comrade  who  will  read  it. 

"  Thank  you  —  I  mean  that.  Thank  you  very 
much  indeed,  you  have  cheered  up  a  Tommy." 

The  hospital  library  service  in  the  United  States 
was  begun  by  a  few  camp  librarians  sending  collections 
of  books  to  the  hospitals  attached  to  the  camps  where 
they  were  stationed.  In  some  of  these  hospitals  the 
books  were  in  charge  of  a  Chaplain,  a  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
secretary,  or  a  Red  Cross  or  medical  officer,  but  the 
resulting  service  was  very  unequal.  Since  such  hos- 
pital book  collections  as  existed  had  been  made  up 
from  gifts  of  varying  merit  and  the  officials  had  many 
other  time-absorbing  duties,  the  book  service  lagged. 
In  February,  1 918,  it  was  decided  that  some  systematic 
hospital  library  service  should  be  established.  In- 
formation as  to  the  number  and  size  of  the  hospitals 
was  secured  from  the  Surgeon  General's  Office  and 
from  the  Navy  Department.  It  was  also  necessary 
to  learn  the  attitude  of  the  medical  officer  in  command 
and  of  the  Red  Cross  towards  library  work.  Requests 
were  then  sent  to  the  camp  librarians  to  consult  with 
the  medical  officer  in  command  concerning  the  question 
of  a  library  at  the  base  hospital,  and  the  appointment 
of  a  librarian.  Only  after  personal  interviews  with 
the  medical  officer  in  command  at  some  of  the  base 
hospitals  was  consent  given  to  have  library  service 
introduced.  All  the  army  hospitals  wanted  books, 
but  not  all  wanted  librarians.  Some  said  that  they 
did  not  need  a  librarian  as  the  chaplain  had  charge  of 


MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES      l3g 

the  library.  Others  telegraphed  in:  "Please  send 
some  one  immediately."  After  having  seen  what  a 
competent  library  organizer  could  do,  the  medical 
officer  at  Williamsbridge  was  so  perturbed  at  the 
thought  of  being  left  without  a  librarian  that  he  wired 
in  to  headquarters:  "Competent  librarian  needed  and 
demanded." 

In  the  Red  Cross  Houses  are  found  the  convales- 
cents. The  books  needed  here  run  from  current 
popular  fiction  to  poetry,  attractively  written  history 
and  biography,  travel  and  books  on  the  war.  Techni- 
cal books  along  the  lines  of  the  camp's  special  activities 
are  sure  to  be  asked  for  as  the  men  get  stronger.  If 
there  are  many  uneducated  men  in  the  camp  it  will  be 
necessary  to  have  a  good  sprinkling  of  primers  and 
simple  readers,  and  books  in  foreign  languages  will  be 
needed  in  most  of  our  camps.  "What  the  librarian 
of  a  base  hospital  library  aspires  to  do  is  to  get  every- 
body to  reading,"  says  Miss  Miriam  Carey,  supervisor 
of  hospitals  in  the  South-Eastern  District.  "  In  order 
to  know  how  to  do  this  a  leisurely  survey  from  bed  to 
bed  is  taken.  After  the  soldiers  get  acquainted  with 
the  librarian  and  adopt  her  as  one  of  their  own  folks 
they  do  not  hesitate  to  tell  her  what  they  want  to 
read,  —  far  from  it.  And  after  one  of  these  bedside 
visits,  she  can  tell  them  what  they  want  to  read  if 
they  are  backward  about  it.  To  satisfy  the  wants  of 
the  sick  soldiers  it  is  necessary  not  only  to  take  the 
book  to  the  man  but  to  get  acquainted  with  him. 
After  this  has  been  done  the  librarian  and  her  orderly 
have  the  supremest  satisfaction  that  can  come  to 
such  workers,  namely  that  of  seeing  every  man  in  the 
ward  with  a  book  or  scrap  book  or  magazine  in  his 
hand." 


l4o      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

A  librarian  at  a  Red  Cross  House  paid  a  call  at  the 
bedside  of  a  man  who  was  perfectly  certain  that  he 
did  not  want  to  read.  He  was  peevish  and  almost 
contemptuous,  but  the  librarian  discovered  in  him  a 
latent  sense  of  humor  and  she  sent  him  a  "Penrod" 
with  the  message  that  if  he  had  ever  been  a  boy  she 
was  sure  he  would  enjoy  the  book.  The  next  time  she 
visited  this  ward  the  man  was  all  smiles.  Never  had 
he  enjoyed  a  book  like  that  one,  —  greatest  thing  he 
had  ever  read,  said  he  as  he  asked  her  to  send  him 
another.  Upon  returning  from  one  of  his  rounds,  a 
Red  Cross  orderly  said:  "Well,  I  left  everybody 
a-reading." 

"I  can't  praise  too  highly  the  sending  of  books  and 
magazines,"  writes  a  private  who  was  formerly  in  the 
New  York  Public  Library,  but  is  now  attached  to  Base 
Hospital  number  8,  at  the  Front.  "For  example, 
one  of  the  magazines  you  sent  was  left  in  a  ward 
where  there  were  109  patients;  it  was  passed  from 
man  to  man  and  when  it  no  longer  seemed  to  circulate 
was  taken  to  another  ward  of  an  equal  number  of 
beds.  A  very  little  arithmetic  makes  apparent  at 
how  little  cost  a  man  received  great  pleasure.  And 
truly  the  greatest  happiness  was  not  the  enjoyment 
of  the  magazine  but  this  great,  helpful,  inspiring, 
strengthening  thought  —  that  people  back  home,  col- 
lectively as  well  as  individually,  sufficiently  realized 
our  situation  and  felt  for  us  to  give  us  these  influencing 
little  things." 

A  young  American  ambulance  driver  lay  in  a  Paris 
hospital  with  a  smashed  shoulder.  He  was  still  very 
weak,  but  able  to  be  amused.  His  nurse,  an  American 
girl,  paused  at  his  bedside  and  as  she  noted  his  improve- 
ment, she  asked  with  a  smile: 


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MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES      l£l 

"What  can  I  do  for  you?" 

"Would  —  would  you  read  aloud  to  me?" 

"Of  course,"  she  said  heartily.  "What  would  you 
like  —  what  would  you  like  most?" 

He  smiled. 

"If,"  he  said  —  "if  you  only  had  a  short  story  by 
Booth  Tarkington." 

A  badly  wounded  man  in  a  large  base  hospital  in 
France  on  hearing  of  the  visit  of  a  woman  whose 
novel  he  had  read  in  a  popular  English  magazine, 
asked  the  favor  of  a  chat  with  her.  "I  don't  think 
I'm  likely  to  pull  through  this  bout,  ma'am,"  said 
he.  "I've  had  two  turns  before  in  hospital  —  but 
I'd  like  to  thank  you  for  writing  that  jolly  yarn. 
It's  cheered  me  up  a  bit  and  shown  me  that  there's 
some  good  in  suffering." 

Cheerful  endings  are  desirable  in  fiction  for  the 
wounded.  A  British  nurse  tells  of  a  serial  story  that 
had  been  read  by  two  of  her  patients,  one  of  whom 
was  depressed  for  a  whole  day  because  the  heroine 
died.  "I  wish,  Sister,  I  had  never  read  it,"  he  ex- 
claimed. "I  got  to  like  that  girl  and  if  I  could  have 
found  one  something  the  same  when  I  got  out  and 
about  again,  I  should  have  married  her  —  if  she  would 
have  had  me." 

In  Montreal's  Military  Convalescent  Home,  there 
is  a  quiet  little  room  where  the  returned  soldiers  love 
to  congregate.  Magazines  are  scattered  on  its  center 
table  and  books  of  every  sort  are  on  its  shelves.  In 
comfortable  easy  chairs  the  men  sit  reading  or  writing. 
The  room  is  maintained  by  the  McGill  Alumnae 
Society.  The  books  on  its  shelves  are  all  too  few 
to  satisfy  the  hourly  demands  made  upon  them. 
Old  and  new  favorites  vie  with  each  other  in  popularity. 


1^2      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Ivanhoe,  Waverly,  The  Newcomes,  and  Oliver  Twist 
have  become  dog-eared  to  an  almost  pathetic  degree 
of  shabbiness.  One  irreproachably  kilted  Scot  was 
keenly  disappointed  that  "some  wee  poems  o'  Bobbie 
Burns"  were  not  forthcoming. 

The  great  demand  for  every  sort  of  technical  books, 
especially  on  mechanics,  engineering,  navigation,  archi- 
tecture, aviation  and  astronomy,  often  taxes  the  li- 
brary's resources  beyond  its  limit.  The  convalescent 
soldiers  who  are  under  training  in  the  vocational 
schools  show  a  great  desire  to  supplement  their  text- 
books by  further  reading. 

Books  are  also  distributed  in  the  wards  at  Grey 
Nunnery,  Montreal,  to  patients  confined  to  their 
beds.  One  poor  fellow,  brought  over  on  a  hospital 
ship  from  England,  had  started  while  on  shipboard 
a  lurid  tale  of  adventure.  The  desire  to  know  how  it 
ended  so  tormented  him  that  his  general  feverish 
state  was  greatly  augmented.  The  Montreal  book- 
shops were  scoured  in  vain.  It  was  found  necessary 
to  send  to  New  York  for  the  book.  It  cheered  him 
greatly  to  know  that  the  book  was  at  last  on  its  way. 
But  he  died  the  morning  the  book  was  received. 

A  discharged  Russian  soldier  brought  to  a  librarian 
a  torn  and  battered  Russian  magazine.  "They  gave 
it  to  me  at  the  Grey  Nunnery,"  he  said,  "and  I  was  so 
glad  to  get  something  written  in  Russian  that  I  want 
to  leave  it  here  for  some  other  Russian  fellow." 

A  German  soldier  and  his  son  had  come  all  the  way 
from  Verdun  to  the  Russian  front,  where  they  were 
wounded  and  captured.  They  lay  in  adjoining  beds 
in  a  military  hospital,  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  furnished 
them  with  a  copy  of  "Oliver  Twist"  and  a  Russian 
grammar  which  they  were  planning  to  study  together. 


MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES      l£3 

In  the  same  ward  was  a  young  Berlin  professor  who 
had  done  research  work  in  the  British  Museum.  He 
brooded  a  great  deal  over  his  fate,  but  a  gift  of  the 
"Christmas  Carol"  and  a  Russian  grammar  changed 
somewhat  the  tenor  of  his  thought. 

"My  first  Sunday  in  camp  was  spent  at  the  Base 
Hospital,"  writes  the  librarian  at  Camp  Upton.  "We 
received  from  Major  Whitham  permission  to  distribute 
books  in  the  wards  and  in  the  barracks  of  the  men  in 
hospital  service.  This  involved  the  carrying  of  the 
books  for  a  distance  of  about  three  blocks,  over  lumber 
piles  and  rough  ground.  We  made  a  stretcher-box  by 
nailing  two  long  handle-pieces  to  the  sides  of  a  packing 
box.  On  entering  a  ward  we  were  generally  mistaken 
for  ambulance  men  with  a  new  'case.'  But  when  the 
ward  master  would  call  out  that  we  had  books  free 
for  the  use  of  all  who  wished  them,  there  followed  a 
general  stampede  of  bathrobed  men  in  our  direction. 
Our  wares  proved  popular  as  the  men  were  anxious 
for  something  to  read.  We  expect  to  establish  an 
exchange  station  at  the  hospital  post  when  completed." 

Mrs.  Alice  Hegan  Rice,  who  heads  one  of  the  library 
committees  at  Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  made  a  request 
for  books  for  the  base  hospital  there  which  met  with 
a  generous  response.  The  books  were  well  selected. 
"We  carried  them  in  baskets  from  bed  to  bed,  letting 
the  men  select  what  they  liked,"  wrote  Mrs.  Rice. 
"  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  eagerness  with  which 
they  were  received.  When  we  left  only  five  books 
remained  on  the  table  and  the  two  wards  presented 
a  picture  that  would  have  amused  you.  Every  soldier 
who  was  able  to  sit  up  was  absorbed  in  his  particular 
volume." 

Women  librarians  have  recently  been  appointed  to 


l44      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

the  library  service  in  American  military  camp  hospitals. 
Miss  Ola  M.  Wyeth,  who  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
library  service  at  Camp  Wadsworth  hospital  for  several 
months,  has  already  had  some  interesting  experiences 
in  book  selection  for  the  invalided  soldiers.  Early 
in  her  stay  there,  a  man  who  had  been  in  the  hospital 
said  to  her:  "You  won't  have  any  trouble  disposing 
of  your  books.  When  I  was  there  we  were  tickled  to 
death  to  get  a  magazine  six  months  old." 

On  one  trip  through  the  wards,  she  had  only  two 
books  left.  A  man  picked  them  up  and  handed  them 
back.    "  I  don't  like  books  written  by  women,"  said  he. 

"But  F.  Marion  Crawford  is  not  a  woman." 

"Well,  if  she  isn't  a  woman,  what  is  she?" 

On  being  assured  of  the  author's  sex,  he  took  the 
book  and  settled  back  to  enjoy  it. 

One  day  a  patient  said  to  her,  "Give  me  a  real 
love  story."  All  the  men  laughed,  but  when  the 
librarian  went  to  their  bedsides  most  of  them  said, 
"I  want  one  like  that  other  fellow  asked  for." 

Upon  another  occasion  a  man  declined  a  book. 
The  librarian  went  on  to  the  next  bed.  "What  is 
this  one  about?'  the  occupant  asked.  It  happened  to 
be  Marjorie  Benton  Cooke's  "Bambi." 

"Oh,"  said  the  librarian  offhand,  "it  is  about  a  girl 
who  married  a  man  without  his  having  anything  to 
say  about  it." 

"That  will  do.     I  will  take  it." 

Then  the  man  who  had  declined  to  have  a  book 
called  out:  "Let  me  read  it  first."  The  librarian 
left  them  wrangling  good-naturedly  over  the  book. 
Miss  Wyeth  says  that  it  is  very  common  to  have  a 
man  refuse  a  book  until  he  sees  his  neighbor  take  one; 
that  excites  his  interest  and  he  calls  for  a  book. 


MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES     l£5 

The  men  in  the  wards  are  growing  more  particular  in 
their  choice  of  books.  It  seems  almost  impossible  to 
meet  the  demand  for  books  of  adventure.  There  are 
always  a  few  who  prefer  the  serious  type  of  reading, 
and  these  readers  are  often  of  an  unusual  type.  The 
librarian  reports  an  enjoyable  talk  on  literary  matters 
with  a  remarkably  well-informed  young  man  who 
impressed  her  so  favorably  that  she  made  inquiries 
as  to  his  identity.  Upon  inquiry,  she  found  that  he 
was  a  former  prize-fighter! 

Hospital  officers  have  sent  for  the  librarian  at  odd 
times  when  they  have  run  out  of  reading  matter,  — 
an  indication  of  their  appreciation  of  the  book  service. 

A  military  hospital  is  ordinarily  divided  into  surgical, 
medical  and  psychiatric  wards.  In  the  latter  are  the 
shell  shock  patients,  some  of  whom  are  deaf,  some 
have  lost  their  power  of  speech  and  others  cannot 
walk.  The  percentage  of  recoveries  is  large,  especially 
of  the  deaf  and  speechless.  Those  whose  nerves  of 
locomotion  are  affected  have  to  relearn  the  art  of 
walking.  The  medical  officers  are  the  first  to  recognize 
the  therapeutic  value  of  interesting  books  and  pictures. 
From  the  standpoint  of  the  neurologists,  books,  like 
drugs,  are  classified  into  stimulants  and  depressants. 
Not  every  novel  with  a  happy  ending  is  a  stimulant  to 
the  depressed  patient,  who  may  be  tempted  to  contrast 
his  own  wretched  state  with  that  of  the  happy  hero. 
Nor  is  every  tragedy  a  depressant.  A  serious  book 
may  prove  to  be  better  reading  for  a  nervous  patient 
than  something  in  lighter  vein,  —  he  may  get 
new  courage  and  a  firm  resolve  to  be  master  of  his 
fate  by  reading  of  another's  struggle  against  adverse 
circumstances. 

One  hospital  librarian  writes  of  meeting  two  patients 


l46      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

pacing  up  and  down  the  veranda  of  a  psychiatric 
ward.  In  answer  to  an  offer  of  cowboy  yarns,  de- 
tective stories  and  recent  fiction,  one  of  the  men  said 
"If  I  could  sit  down  and  read  a  book  I'd  be  glad," 
and  he  resumed  his  pacing.  Later  she  met  these  same 
men  and  persuaded  one  of  them  to  take  a  copy  of 
"Much  ado  about  Nothing,"  assuring  him  that  he 
would  not  have  to  concentrate  on  it  as  he  was  already 
familiar  with  it.  He  took  the  book  and  signed  for  it 
with  a  trembling  hand.  The  man,  who  had  said  that 
he  knew  he  could  never  read  again,  that  the  last 
thing  he  had  read  was  a  magazine  article  on  trench 
warfare,  was,  however,  willing  to  try  Empey's  "Over 
the  Top."  The  librarian  took  a  copy  of  the  book  to 
the  ward  master  who  promised  to  look  it  over  and  give 
it  to  the  man  if  he  thought  it  would  not  excite  him 
too  much  by  recalling  his  own  trench  experiences. 

A  ward  master  in  the  Base  Hospital  at  Camp  Upton 
wanted  a  Rabbi  to  have  a  look  at  a  Jewish  patient 
whom  he  thought  was  rather  peculiar,  —  possibly  out 
of  his  head,  —  because  he  clung  so  tenaciously  to  an 
old  newspaper.  Upon  investigation,  the  Rabbi  found 
that  this  Jewish  boy  was  quite  bewildered,  for  he  could 
neither  speak  nor  read  English  and  for  ten  days  had 
had  nothing  to  read  but  an  old  Yiddish  paper.  He 
turned  out  to  be  a  student  and  was  nearly  beside 
himself  for  want  of  some  means  of  self-expression. 
The  Rabbi  called  upon  the  camp  librarian  who,  al- 
though there  was  but  little  of  Hebrew  and  Yiddish  on 
the  shelves,  was  able  to  provide  some  suitable  material 
and  to  do  for  the  patient  what  the  doctors  could 
not  do. 

Scrap  books  are  being  made  all  over  the  country 
for  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers.    Chicago  people 


MILITARY     HOSPITAL     LIBRARIES     l47 

filled  five  thousand  hempboard  books  furnished  by 
the  Chicago  Daily  News  with  short  stories,  pictures, 
anecdotes  and  bits  of  humor  clipped  from  periodicals. 
These  scrap  books  are  being  sent  out  from  the  American 
Library  Association  Headquarters.  The  librarian  at 
Camp  MacArthur  wrote  in  to  say  that  he  took  fifty 
of  these  over  to  the  base  hospital  and  distributed  them 
personally.  He  also  took  over  to  the  isolation  ward 
of  the  base  hospital  some  fifty  popular  novels  which 
were  nearly  too  worn  out  to  circulate  any  longer. 
The  men  literally  flocked  around  the  table  where  the 
books  were  placed,  and  one  heard  such  remarks  as 
"This  is  my  book,"  or  "There's  a  bully  good  book," 
or  "I  want  you  to  know  that  we  appreciate  these 
books."  Such  volumes  will,  of  course,  be  destroyed 
when  that  particular  ward  is  through  with  them, 
but,  as  the  librarian  remarks,  "their  last  service  is 
a  worthy  one.  These  are  the  things  that  give  one  the 
energy  to  work  ten  or  twelve  hours  a  day  seven  days 
in  the  week  and  make  him  wish  there  were  two  of  him 
instead  of  one." 


1 48      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 


2.    BOOKS   FOR   PRISONERS   OF   WAR 

"One  of  the  greatest  miseries  of  prison  life,  and  one 
of  the  most  demoralizing  aspects  of  it,"  says  Professor 
Gilbert  Murray,  "is  the  aimlessness  and  emptiness 
of  existence  from  day  to  day.  The  reports  which  I 
have  heard  both  from  escaped  prisoners  and  from  those 
who  have  visited  the  prison  camps  have  almost  always 
the  same  burden:  the  men  who  fill  their  days  with 
some  purposeful  occupation  come  through  safely; 
the  men  who  cannot  do  so,  in  one  way  or  another, 
break  or  fail.  The  occupation  must  be  purposeful; 
it  must  not  merely  while  away  the  time,  like  playing 
cards  or  walking  up  and  down  a  prison  yard;  it  must 
have  in  it  some  element  of  hope,  of  progress,  of  prep- 
aration for  the  future.  A  man  who  works  at  learning  a 
foreign  language  in  order  to  talk  to  a  fellow-prisoner 
is  saved  from  the  worst  dangers  of  prison  life:  an 
electrician  who  goes  on  studying  electricity  is  saved; 
a  student  who  sets  himself  to  pass  his  examinations, 
an  artisan  who  works  to  better  himself  in  his  trade, 
an  artist  who  works  on  his  drawing  or  painting,  a 
teacher  who  works  at  the  further  mastering  of  his 
subject  —  all  these  are  protected  against  the  infec- 
tious poison  of  their  captivity." 

Rear-Admiral  Parry,  of  the  British  Navy,  says  that 
large  numbers  of  prisoners  of  war  have  been  saved 
from  serious  mental  deterioration  by  having  access 
to  interesting  works  on  nautical  astronomy,  navi- 
gation, seamanship,  and  allied  subjects  in  which  they 
are  specially  interested. 

Professor  Sir  Henry  Jones  of  Glasgow  University 
writes  that  his  son,  who  was  interned  at  Yozgad, 


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BOOKS    FOR    PRISONERS    OF    WAR         1^9 

in  Asiatic  Turkey,  since  the  fall  of  Kut-el-Amarah, 
was  trying  to  make  the  best  of  his  condition  by  writing 
songs,  an  amateur  drama,  and  a  juvenile  book,  in 
collaboration  with  another  officer.  The  arrival  of 
some  law  books  sent  from  the  headquarters  of  the 
British  Prisoners  of  War  Book  Scheme  (Educational) 
helped  him  to  continue  his  preparation  for  the  English 
Bar. 

A  teacher  in  the  Italian  section  of  the  prison  camp 
school  at  Ruhleben  is  of  the  opinion  that  more  Italian 
is  being  studied  there  than  at  the  Universities  of  Lon- 
don, Oxford  and  Cambridge  in  normal  times. 

A  British  company  sergeant-major,  imprisoned  at 
Minden,  was  furnished  with  a  Russian  grammar  and 
dictionary  and  reports  that  he  can  now  read,  write 
and  speak  Russian  fairly  well.  He  mentions  various 
books  which  might  prove  helpful  to  him,  but  is  quite 
content  to  leave  the  selection  to  those  at  the  head- 
quarters of  the  British  Prisoners  of  War  Book 
Scheme. 

The  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.  maintains  hundreds  of 
schools  in  the  prison  pens  of  the  contending  armies. 
Among  the  millions  of  prisoners  are  found  not  only 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  boys  from  twelve  to  twenty 
years  of  age  and  older  men  eager  to  study,  but  also 
university  professors,  engineers,  clergymen  and  other 
professional  men  ready  and  glad  to  give  instruction 
in  the  branches  in  which  they  are  proficient.  Books 
are  an  essential  aid  to  the  class  room  work  and  an 
endless  variety  of  texts  and  manuals  has  been  asked 
for. 

Count  L ,  a  prisoner  in  a  Russian  camp,  asked 

for  a  good  American  story,  and  the  secretary  brought 
him  "Black  Rock."    The  Count  pronounced  it  to  be 


l5o      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

one  of  the  best  novels  he  had  ever  read,  and  he  asked 
the  secretary  to  send  him  ten  others  of  the  same 
kind  from  America  "after  the  war."  The  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
man  having  occasion  to  go  to  Petrograd  a  few  days 
later,  purchased  books  by  Ralph  Connor,  Gene  Stratton 
Porter,  and  Jack  London,  and  gave  them  to  the  Count. 
The  secretary  says  that  no  other  volumes  ever  received 
such  joyful  reading.  Since  then  they  have  been  pre- 
sented to  the  prison  library  where  they  are  in  great 
demand.  Other  books  of  the  same  class  were  later 
sent  to  the  prison. 

An  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary  in  a  Russian 
prison  camp  borrowed  a  Koran  and  the  other  books 
needed  by  the  Mohammedans  for  a  service  which  he 
arranged  for  them.  Another  American  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
secretary,  writing  from  the  war  prisons  in  Eastern 
Siberia,  says  that  the  Germans  and  Austrians  occupy 
much  of  their  time  in  study.  At  first  it  was  impos- 
sible to  secure  books  in  any  language  but  Russian. 
The  prison  schools  were  for  a  time  equipped  with 
Russian  textbooks  only.  These  were  translated  for 
the  men  by  the  prisoners  who  had  a  general  knowledge 
of  Russian.  Many  of  the  prisoners  spoke  English 
or  French  and  the  more  proficient  among  them  organ- 
ized study  groups,  so  that  all  the  camps  soon  came  to 
have  good  sized  language  schools.  Some  of  the  student 
captives  learned  four  or  five  languages  during  their 
imprisonment.  Commercial  Spanish  proved  especially 
popular.  As  the  prison  schools  taught  everything 
from  the  alphabet  up  to  literary  and  scientific  subjects 
of  university  grade,  some  men  have  been  able  to  learn 
not  only  trades  but  to  secure  three  years'  apprentice- 
ships. In  the  course  of  time  thousands  of  German 
books  arrived  for  the  prisoners  and  so  enabled  many 


BOOKS    FOR    PRISONERS    OF    WAR         l5l 

of  the  advanced  students  to  continue  studies  inter- 
rupted by  the  war. 

Thousands  of  German  prisoners  of  war  are  taken 
to  Holland  in  exchange  for  British  prisoners.  They 
are  all  studying  Dutch,  Spanish,  or  English,  reports 
Mr.  Isaac  F.  Marcosson,  just  as  they  are  doing  in  the 
prison  camps  in  France  and  elsewhere.  "It  simply 
means  that  though  rendered  incapable  of  fighting 
further  in  the  physical  war  they  are  preparing  for 
the  peaceful  war  after  the  war." 

Mr.  Will  Irwin  visited  a  prison  camp  in  Southern 
France  in  December,  191 7,  and  found  many  of  the 
German  prisoners  quite  studious.  "The  prisoners 
sat  at  the  tables,  absorbed  in  books,"  writes  Mr. 
Irwin.  "At  the  growling  command  of  a  sergeant 
they  sprang  to  attention;  and  then,  on  a  gesture  from 
the  French  officer  who  accompanied  me,  sat  down 
again  and  resumed  their  books.  I  passed  from  table 
to  table.  One  or  two  were  reading  novels,  one  was 
transcribing  music;  the  rest  were  studying.  Over 
the  circulating  library  of  some  fifteen  hundred  volumes 
presided  a  tall  good-looking  Bavarian.  He  was,  he 
informed  me  in  excellent  French,  not  only  the  librarian 
but  also  the  schoolmaster."  He  had  been  a  teacher 
before  the  war  and  was  now  instructing  his  fellow 
prisoners  in  French  and  mathematics.  Courses  in 
English,  Spanish,  mechanical  drawing  and  the  theory 
of  music  were  being  given.  Men  qualified  to  teach 
other  branches  came  in  to  the  camp  from  time  to 
time  and  classes  were  organized  in  new  subjects  while 
they  were  there.  Letters  recently  seen  by  Mr.  Irwin 
from  French  prisoners  in  Germany  show  that  they 
follow  the  same  course;  whenever  they  have  leisure 
and  instructors  are  available  they  employ  the  time  in 
studying  something. 


l52       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

In  his  book  entitled  "Captured,"  Lieutenant  J.  H. 
Douglas,  of  the  4th  Canadian  Mounted  Rifles  gives  us 
interesting  glimpses  of  the  thirst  for  reading  among 
the  prisoners  of  war.  While  with  some  of  the  men  it 
merely  served  to  pass  away  the  time,  to  others  it 
meant  salvation.  Two  of  his  comrades  had  been 
in  the  hospital  for  a  long  time  and  had  a  few  books 
that  had  escaped  the  censor.  The  German  pastor 
who  buried  their  dead  had  given  them  an  English 
book  entitled  "The  Life  of  a  Curate."  There  was 
a  waiting  list  for  all  English  books  which  were  passed 
around  the  hospital  as  fast  as  they  could  be  read. 
Lieutenant  Douglas  says  that  if  they  had  had  a  copy 
of  Webster's  Dictionary  it  would  have  been  devoured 
from  cover  to  cover. 

The  study  of  French  attracted  many  of  the  English- 
men. Lieutenant  Douglas  exchanged  lessons  in  Eng- 
lish for  instruction  in  French  with  a  French  captain 
in  the  hospital.  They  managed  to  have  textbooks 
bought  for  them  in  the  city  and  did  serious  work  for 
two  hours  every  day,  —  dividing  the  time  equally 
between  the  two  languages  and  going  straight  through 
the  grammar,  one  lesson  at  a  time.  At  first  all  tlie 
explanations  were  made  in  German  as  this  was  the 
language  both  knew  best.  Later  they  used  only 
the  language  they  were  studying  at  the  time.  Exer- 
cises were  written  as  part  of  the  preparation  for  each 
lesson.  These  were  corrected  and  rated  as  strictly 
as  though  university  examination  papers  were  being 
corrected.  All  this  served  to  make  the  day  seem 
much  shorter  and  the  knowledge  of  French  acquired 
proved  of  great  value  to  Lieutenant  Douglas  later 
when  he  reached  Switzerland.  The  men  subscribed 
to   the   Kolnische   Zeitung   and   every   evening   after 


BOOKS    FOR    PRISONERS    OF    WAR         l53 

supper  they  gathered  around  the  table  while  someone 
translated  the  dispatches:  "We  smiled  when  we  read 
almost  every  day  how  the  English  had  suffered  Blutige 
Schlag  (bloody  defeat)."  With  the  exception  of  the 
Continental  Times,  a  pro-German  paper  distributed 
free  among  the  prisoners,  they  had  not  seen  a  news- 
paper printed  in  English  since  they  had  been  taken 
prisoner. 

The  French  captain  was  an  indefatigable  worker 
and  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  do  so,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  French  law  through  some  books  ordered 
from  Paris.  For  a  year  and  a  half  he  lived  almost 
alone  and  maintained  his  sanity  by  very  hard  reading. 
In  sheer  desperation  he  had  taken  up  the  study  of 
German  with  a  sanitaire  and  even  attempted  English 
by  himself.  He  made  remarkable  progress  in  English. 
As  Lieutenant  Douglas  had  been  seriously  wounded 
and  was  sent  to  a  prison  camp  in  Switzerland,  he  and 
some  of  his  fellow  prisoners  were  allowed  to  register 
at  the  University  of  Lausanne,  where  they  took  courses 
in  engineering  and  French  literature. 

The  prisoners  as  a  rule  are  all  greatly  interested  in 
the  belated  foreign  newspapers  which  come  to  them. 
For  a  long  time  only  two  were  allowed  in  the  camps  in 
Russia  —  the  London  Times  and  the  Paris  Temps. 
The  restriction  was  made  in  order  to  save  the  time 
of  the  Russian  censors  rather  than  on  account  of  any 
distrust  of  other  English  or  French  papers.  Not 
only  all  German  and  American,  but  all  neutral  news- 
papers were  banned.  It  was  only  after  America 
entered  the  war  that  permission  was  secured  for  the 
prisoners  to  receive  the  New  York  Times.  Whenever 
any  of  the  English  papers  are  brought  into  the  prison 
camps,  some  one  who  knows  English  well  is  selected 


l54       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

to  translate  them  aloud,  while  groups  sit  around  and 
listen  for  hours  at  a  time. 

Mr.  J.  L.  Austin,  a  British  officer  who  had  been 
imprisoned  in  various  German  camps  early  in  the  war, 
has  published  his  experiences  as  a  German  prisoner. 
He  says  that  upon  arrival  at  Torgau  in  Saxony,  they 
obtained  a  few  English  books  at  the  railway  station. 
The  British  officers  formed  a  circulating  library  and 
English  and  French  authors  were  readily  procurable 
in  Tauchnitz  editions.  "There  was  no  lack  of  read- 
ing material,  but  there  was  a  tendency  for  other  people 
to  borrow  your  book  before  you  had  finished  with  it, 
and  if  anyone  lost  a  volume  that  he  had  brought  out, 
he  had  nothing  to  exchange  for  another.  But  in  spite 
of  certain  irregularities  the  system  worked  well; 
many  books  also  were  sent  to  officers  from  home,  and 
generally  arrived  safely.  We  were  always  allowed  to 
take  in  the  German  newspapers,  and  for  a  short  time 
by  the  courtesy  of  a  highly  placed  gentleman,  a  few 
copies  of  The  Times  and  some  illustrated  English 
papers  drifted  into  the  camp.  Thus  we  were  enabled 
to  read  Sir  John  French's  dispatches  up  to  the  end  of 
the  first  battle  of  the  Aisne,  but  at  the  other  camps 
where  we  have  been,  it  has  always  been  impossible 
to  obtain  English  newspapers.  The  German  news- 
papers on  the  whole  contained  very  little  information, 
and  whenever  there  was  anything  approaching  a 
German  reverse  it  was  published  two  or  three  days  later 
as  an  unconfirmed  report  from  London,  Rome  or 
elsewhere.  Most  of  the  papers  consisted  of  articles 
aimed  at  England,  and  were  in  many  of  their  facts 
and  in  their  expressions  of  hate  somewhat  grotesque 
and  amusing  reading.  There  was  never,  however, 
any  attempt  to  disguise  the  loss  of  German  ships,  and 


BOOKS    FOR    PRISONERS    OF    WAR         l55 

we  obtained  fairly  good  accounts  of  the  Heligoland 
fight  and  of  the  battle  of  the  Falkland  Islands." 

"While  British  newspapers  were  distinctly  verboten 
we  were  permitted  to  purchase  German  publications, 
which  were  brought  in  daily,  and  sold  by  a  German 
girl,"  says  H.  C.  Mahoney  in  his  "Interned  in  Ger- 
many." "For  the  most  part,  the  Teuton  papers 
comprised  the  Berliner  Tageblatt  and  'Aunt  Voss,' 
of  which  last,  rumor  had  it,  special  editions  were 
prepared  for  our  express  edification;  but  to  the  truth 
of  this  statement  I  cannot  testify.  Delivery  was  not 
exactly  regular,  and  as  the  newsgirl  had  plenty  of 
patronage  we  could  not  understand,  at  first,  her 
apparent  indifference  to  trade.  Later,  we  discovered 
that  all  of  the  papers  were  submitted  to  rigid  censoring 
before  they  could  be  brought  into  the  camp,  and  if 
they  contained  a  line  concerning  a  British  success  of 
arms,  they  were  prohibited.  By  such  action,  the  au- 
thorities doubtlessly  hoped  to  keep  us  in  ignorance  of 
British  military  developments,  but,  once  having  gleaned 
the  reason  for  the  non-appearance  of  the  papers,  we 
naturally  measured  British  successes  by  the  days  on 
which  the  news-sheets  were  not  forthcoming.  As 
time  went  on  and  the  number  of  blanks  increased, 
we  rightly  concluded  that  the  German  army  was 
receiving  a  series  of  jolts  which  it  did  not  relish.  Con- 
sequently, by  forbidding  the  papers,  the  Teutons 
defeated  their  own  ends.  Although  we  were  somewhat 
in  the  dark  as  to  the  magnitude  of  the  British  achieve- 
ments we  were  free  to  speculate  on  the  subject. 

"One  day  a  huge  bundle  of  newspapers  was  brought 
into  camp,  and  to  our  astonishment  they  were  freely 
distributed  among  the  prisoners  who  quickly  gathered 
around.    That  the  authorities  should  present  us  with 


l56       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

copies  of  a  newspaper  hot  from  the  press  was  an  out- 
burst of  magnanimity  which  quite  overwhelmed  us, 
and  our  delight  became  intensified  when  we  read  the 
title:  Continental  Times.  We  supposed  this  to  be 
a  continental  edition  of  the  eminent  British  daily  and 
we  grabbed  the  proffered  copies  with  eager  delight. 
But  when  we  dipped  into  the  contents!  Phew!  The 
howl  of  rage  that  went  up  and  the  invectives  that  were 
hurled  to  the  four  winds  startled  even  the  guard. 
At  first  we  thought  the  venerable  Old  Lady  of  Printing 
House  Square  had  become  bereft,  since  the  paper  was 
crammed  from  beginning  to  end  with  pro-German 
propaganda  of  an  amazing  and  incredible  description. 
It  was  a  cunning  move,  but  so  shallow  as  to  merely 
provoke  sarcasm.  Time  after  time  that  offensive 
sheet  was  brought  into  camp  and  given  away;  but 
on  each  occasion  we  subjected  it  to  the  grossest  indig- 
nities we  could  conceive.  What  it  cost  the  authorities 
to  endeavor  to  deceive  us  in  this  way  is  only  known 
to  themselves,  but  it  was  a  ghastly  fiasco.  Truly, 
the  Teuton  is  strangely  warped  in  his  psychology." 

Mr.  Ian  Malcolm,  M.  P.,  in  his  "War  Pictures, 
Behind  the  Lines,"  says  that  when  he  visited  some  of 
the  prison  camps  he  was  able  to  dispel  certain  illu- 
sions and  to  disprove  a  large  variety  of  stories  which 
had  been  the  main  contents  of  the  Gazette  des  Ardennes, 
a  bi-weekly  newspaper  published  by  the  Germans  at 
Charleville  for  the  '  benefit "  of  French  prisoners. 
The  prisoners  told  Mr.  Malcolm  that  they  always 
bought  it,  though  money  was  scarce  and  it  cost  a 
penny,  because  there  was  always  so  much  to  laugh 
at  in  it.  '  Certainly,  if  all  the  issues  were  as  uncon- 
sciously comic  as  those  which  I  saw  on  that  train,  the 
penny  was  money  well  spent.     Several  men  told  me 


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CO     oa 

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w  -a 


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O      2 


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BOOKS    FOR    PRISONERS    OF    WAR         ibj 

that  on  the  days  when  this  egregious  newspaper  ap- 
peared with  its  imaginary  news  of  French  defeats  and 
of  disasters  to  the  Allies  all  over  the  globe,  German 
officers  and  N.C.O.'s  used  to  go  round  the  camps  and 
ask  the  men  what  they  thought  of  it.  The  Germans, 
who  unfortunately  believed  it  all,  were  horrified  to  see 
their  captives  making  exceedingly  merry  and  declining 
to  credit  a  single  word.  Another  paper  of  the  same 
agreeable  kind  is  circulated  for  the  benefit  of  English 
prisoners  and  is  called  The  Continental  Times  —  a 
Journal  for  Americans  in  Europe,  price  twopence  half- 
penny —  and  dear  at  the  price.  I  can  hardly  imagine 
any  sane  American  buying  it,  as  it  contains  little  but 
reprints  of  ravings  against  England  (if  possible  by 
English  writers),  off-scouring  from  newspapers  like  the 
Gaelic- American,  and  clumsy  inventions  by  way  of 
war  news.  It  is  fair  to  add  that  it  now  publishes 
some  of  the  French  and  English  communiques  from 
the  seat  of  war;  but  it  did  not  include  these  items 
until  it  had  done  its  best  in  all  previous  numbers 
to  prove  that  such  information  from  the  Allies  was 
unworthy  of  credence." 

Mr.  Israel  Cohen  says  that  at  Ruhleben  English 
newspapers  were  strictly  banned,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Continental  Times  which  was  sometimes  distributed 
gratuitously  in  the  Camp  with  a  view  to  undermining 
the  loyalty  of  the  English  prisoners.  "But  despite 
the  military  prohibition  and  the  most  vigilant  pre- 
cautions we  were  able,  nevertheless,  to  see  at  first 
The  Times,  and  then  the  Daily  Telegraph,  fairly  regu- 
larly. That  these  papers  came  into  the  Camp  was  not 
unknown  to  the  military  authorities;  but  how  they 
came  remained  an  impenetrable  mystery.  One  of  the 
military  officers,  Rittmeister  von  Mutzenbecher,  was 


l58       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

even  sportsman  enough  to  admire  us  for  the  skill  with 
which  we  circumvented  the  regulations.  In  the  course 
of  a  little  speech,  in  June,  191 5,  in  which  he  compli- 
mented the  actors  in  a  performance  of  '  The  Speckled 
Band,'  he  dwelt  upon  the  ingenuity  of  Sherlock  Holmes, 
and  said:  '  I  think  this  Sherlock  Holmes  had  better 
remain  in  the  Camp  until  the  end  of  the  war.  He 
may  be  able  to  find  out  for  us  how  The  Times  gets 
into  the  Camp.  At  present  we  don't  know,  but  we 
should  very  much  like  to  know.'  The  price  paid  for 
a  single  copy  of  the  English  paper  by  the  prisoner 
who  acted  as  news-agent  varied  from  five  to  ten  marks, 
owing  to  the  risk  involved  in  the  traffic,  but  the 
agent  always  made  a  handsome  profit,  as  he  lent  the 
paper  out,  at  one  or  two  marks  an  hour,  to  groups  of 
fellow-prisoners.  The  borrower  seldom  knew  who 
the  agent  was;  a  stranger  brought  him  the  paper,  and 
punctually,  at  the  end  of  the  allotted  time,  fetched  it 
away  again.  The  efforts  made  by  the  authorities  to 
solve  the  mystery  all  failed  lamentably.  On  one  occa- 
sion soldiers  were  sent  to  sneak  up  behind  the  men 
who  sat  reading  papers  on  the  grand  stand  and  see 
whether  any  of  the  papers  were  either  English  or 
French.  One  zealous  soldier  made  two  captures  and 
marched  his  men  with  their  papers  to  the  military 
office,  fully  expecting  punishment  for  the  prisoners 
and  praise  for  himself.  But  a  moment's  examination 
showed  that  one  of  the  papers  was  La  Belgique,  which 
appears  in  Brussels  under  German  censorship,  while 
the  other  was  the  notorious  Continental  Times.  On 
the  whole,  however,  there  were  few  regular  readers  of 
an  English  paper,  as  the  luxury  of  a  subscription  was 
a  little  too  costly  for  a  prison  camp.  It  was  thanks 
to  the  same  ingenious  mechanism,  that  copies  of  the 


BOOKS    FOR    PRISONERS    OF    WAR         l5g 

weekly  Zukunjt,  in  which  Maximilian  Harden  scarified 
his  Government,  made  their  way  into  our  horse-boxes, 
and  likewise  that  I  was  able  to  read  at  my  leisure  that 
remarkable  exposure  of  Germany's  guilt  in  causing  the 
war,  J' Accuse,  the  perusal  of  which  is  prohibited  in 
Germany  on  pain  of  fine  and  imprisonment." 

Mr.  Percy  L.  Close,  a  member  of  the  Volunteer 
Squadron  of  the  8th  Mounted  Rifles,  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Germans  in  South  West  Africa,  and  has  given 
an  account  of  the  dreary  prison  life  at  Mariental  and 
Gibeon.  "Those  who  were  fortunate,"  says  he, 
"had  a  few  magazines  and  one  or  two  novels  to  read. 
It  did  not  matter  whether  the  reading  matter  was 
utter  trash.  We  read  anything  for  the  sake  of  read- 
ing." He  adds  that  just  before  he  was  released  one 
of  the  officers  had  with  him  on  arrival  at  Tsumeb  a 
weekly  edition  of  the  Cape  Times.  This  was  passed 
from  hand  to  hand,  and  from  the  "Diary  of  the  War" 
which  it  contained,  the  men  were  able  to  inform  them- 
selves of  the  principal  events  during  the  period  of 
their  internment. 

In  August,  1915,  a  committee  of  four  persons  were 
called  together  in  London  by  Dr.  C.  T.  Hagberg 
Wright,  to  provide  Russian  prisoners  in  Germany  with 
Russian  books.  In  October,  191 6,  the  committee 
was  enlarged.  This  English  committee  worked  with 
the  Russian  committee  in  Holland,  through  whom 
they  were  first  put  in  touch  with  many  of  the  camps. 
A  few  typical  examples  of  the  kind  of  letters  received 
from  prisoners,  both  civil  and  military,  will  show  how 
the  efforts  of  the  British  committee  have  been  received. 

The  first  is  from  a  young  girl  volunteer  who  is  now 
a  prisoner  at  Havelburg,  who  had  written  asking  for 
a  parcel  of  food.     She  says:    "I  am  a  schoolgirl  of 


160       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

nineteen  years,  and  have  been  a  prisoner  two  and  a 
half  years,  but  what  I  want  is  to  have  some  books 
to  study  English;  if  it  is  possible,  please  reply  to  me." 

A  young  soldier  writes:  "I  am  a  student  of  the 
Oriental  Institute  of  Vladivostock  where  I  was  study- 
ing Chinese  and  Japanese,  and  now  after  eighteen 
months  of  captivity  I  find  that  I  have  in  part  for- 
gotten these  languages.  If  it  be  possible  I  should  so 
like  to  obtain  something  on  these  languages,  either  in 
Russian  or  French,  to  enable  me  to  continue  my 
studies." 

A  Russian  lieutenant  begs  for  some  books  on  juris- 
prudence such  as  are  now  used  in  the  courses  of  "our 
Institute  for  the  study  of  neurology  and  psychology." 

An  officer  in  control  of  the  Langensalza  camp  library 
says:  "Our  camp  is  very  large,  and  there  is  a  con- 
tinual and  extraordinary  demand  for  books.  Popular 
scientific  books  and  books  on  social  questions  are  most 
in  demand." 

"Where  no  specific  request  has  been  made,"  says 
Dr.  Wright,  "we  have  sent  books  of  a  varied  char- 
acter. For  the  common  soldiers  elementary  school 
books  and  simple  reading  books,  scientific  primers, 
books  on  agriculture,  and  religious  books  and  the  works 
of  great  Russian  writers  have  been  selected.  For  the 
officers  we  have  chosen  books  of  a  more  advanced 
description,  embracing  every  conceivable  branch  of 
knowledge.  A  large  number  of  grammars  and  dic- 
tionaries have  also  been  sent,  and  are  in  continual 
request.  Roughly  fifty  grammars  and  dictionaries 
have  been  dispatched  to  Altdamm  —  but  this  is  a  mere 
drop  in  the  ocean  when  one  considers  that  many  of 
the  camps  number  over  one  thousand  men.  The 
demand  for  special  books  of  study  has  as  far  as  possible 


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BOOKS    FOR    PRISONERS    OF    WAR         161 

been  complied  with,  but  in  a  few  cases  great  difficulty 
has  been  experienced  in  obtaining  what  is  wanted  in 
Russian." 

In  a  supplementary  manuscript  report,  Dr.  Wright 
in  detailing  the  recent  work  of  his  committee,  expresses 
the  hope  that,  whatever  he  thought  of  the  revolution 
in  Russia,  it  will  not  be  forgotten  for  a  single  instant 
that  these  prisoners  are  sufferers  for  the  good  cause, 
that  they  lost  their  liberty  as  fellow-workers  with  the 
English. 

From  every  prison  camp  in  Germany  and  Austria, 
an  appeal  is  being  issued  for  books.  This  appeal  is 
not  from  men  who  wish  to  read  merely  to  kill  time. 
They  have  formed  classes;  they  intend  to  alleviate  their 
captivity  by  instruction.  They  did  not  turn  to 
books  as  a  narcotic  or  for  amusement,  —  they  desire 
to  learn.  The  Russian  prisoners  do  not  ask  for  novels, 
but  for  Russian  school  books,  for  grammars  and  dic- 
tionaries of  foreign  languages,  for  works  on  political 
economy  and  the  economic  history  of  England,  for 
treatises  on  engineering,  agriculture,  and  other  applied 
sciences.  From  the  Camp  at  Altdam  come  requests 
for  a  Chinese  grammar,  works  on  chemistry,  elec- 
tricity and  metallurgy,  an  English  grammar  and 
reader.  In  a  camp  near  Magdeburg,  Russian  books 
on  mathematics  and  physics  are  needed. 

"I  write  to  tell  you,"  says  one  prisoner,  "that 
we  have  in  our  camp  a  library  and  a  school,  but  we 
are  badly  in  need  of  manuals  for  primary  and  higher 
teaching.  We  would  gladly  receive  books  in  French, 
German  and  English  as  well  as  in  Russian." 

From  Parchim  there  came  a  letter  dated  October  26, 
1917.  "Some  schoolmasters  working  in  the  camp 
schools  are  full  of  thoughts,  dreams,  and  plans  about 


162       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

the  work  they  shall  take  up  in  their  own  country  after 
the  war.  We  all  understand  that  the  question  of 
popular  education  will  change  in  a  radical  way  as  the 
result  of  the  general  position  in  Russia.  There  is  a 
wish  to  prepare  even  a  little  for  the  work  which  is 
anticipated.  The  American  technical  school  with  its 
method  of  teaching  chiefly  attracts  our  attention. 
As  far  as  time  allows  we  are  learning  the  books  before 
us  which  apply  this  method  to  Germany.  We  are 
very  anxious  to  learn  something  about  the  English 
schools  which  it  appears  have  some  similarity  to  the 
American  schools.  Therefore,  I  venture  to  ask  you  to 
send  us  some  books  which  would  give  a  general  view 
of  methods  and  administration  of  English  schools, 
above  all  elementary.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that 
you  will  find  such  a  book  in  Russian  and  especially 
one  with  the  design  of  informing  us  on  this  point. 
I  have  begun  to  learn  the  English  language  and  I 
hope  that  in  a  few  months  I  shall  be  able  to  under- 
stand English." 

From  the  women's  barracks,  at  Havelberg,  Doctor 
Mary  Minkewitsch  writes,  under  date  of  December 
4,  1917:  "If  possible,  do  send  us  some  magazines  on 
artistic  questions  and  music.  We  have  very  few 
books." 

From  Plassenburg,  a  lieutenant  sends  a  request 
for  a  history  of  England  and  a  Russian-English  dic- 
tionary. A  prisoner  at  Bischofswerda  says  that  he 
needs  more  scientific  books,  that  he  has  become  in- 
terested in  experimental  psychology  and  would  also 
like  to  have  a  copy  of  Clayden's  "Cloud  Studies." 
The  Committee  of  the  Prisoners  Camp  at  Czersk, 
at  the  request  of  some  medical  men,  asks  for  Mac- 
kenzie's "Diseases  of  the  Heart,"  and  Hutchinson's 


BOOKS    FOR    PRISONERS    OF    WAR         l63 

"Diseases  of  Children."  The  Library  Committee 
of  the  Prison  Camp  for  Russian  officers  at  Burg,  near 
Magdeburg,  on  behalf  of  the  readers,  sends  "sincere 
thanks  for  the  continual  care  taken  in  sending  them 
spiritual  food  in  the  monotonous  life  in  the  camp." 


l64      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 
3.    LETTERS   FROM   THE   FRONT 

Wagstaffe,  in  Ian  Hay's  "First  Hundred  Thousand," 
looks  over  the  list  of  Bobby's  outfit  and  says,  "  If  you 
find  you  still  have  a  pound  or  so  in  hand,  add  a  few 
books  —  something  to  fall  back  on,  in  case  supplies 
fail.  Personally,  I'm  taking  'Vanity  Fair'  and  'Pick- 
wick.'    But  then,  I'm  old-fashioned." 

A  member  of  the  First  Canadian  Contingent  wrote 
back  home  in  the  spring  of  191 5: 

"There  is  one  thing  which  I  believe  would  be  most 
acceptable  and  would  not  be  expensive,  and  that  is  a 
supply  of  reading  material  in  the  form  of  old  magazines 
or  cheap  paper-covered  books  of  all  kinds.  The 
men  in  these  regiments  are  in  many  cases  accustomed 
to  reading,  and  in  billets  in  the  long  evenings,  and  in 
the  trenches,  they  have  a  great  deal  of  spare  time,  and 
I  know  welcome  a  book  on  the  rare  occasions  when  it 
can  be  got.  They  are  passed  around  till  they  are  worn 
out.  The  cheaper  the  books  are,  the  better,  for  we 
move  often,  and  such  things  cannot  be  added  to  the 
already  too  heavy  packs." 

The  varying  literary  tastes  of  the  men  at  the  front 
are  brought  out  by  H.  G.  Wells  in  "Mr.  Britling." 
Hugh  writes  to  his  father  about  life  in  the  trenches: 

"We  read,  of  course.  But  there  never  could  be  a 
library  here  big  enough  to  keep  us  going.  We  can  do 
with  all  sorts  of  books,  but  I  don't  think  the  ordinary 
sensational  novel  is  quite  the  catch  it  was  for  a  lot  of 
them  in  peace  time.  Some  break  towards  serious  read- 
ing in  the  oddest  fashion.  Old  Park,  for  example, 
says  he  wants  books  you  can  chew;  he  is  reading  a 
cheap  edition  of  'The  Origin  of  Species.'  He  used  to 
regard  Florence  Warden  and  William  Le  Queux  as 


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LETTERS  FROM  THE  FRONT      l65 

the  supreme  delights  of  print.  I  wish  you  could  send 
him  Metchnikoff's  'Nature  of  Man'  or  Pearson's 
'Ethics  of  Free  Thought.'  I  feel  I  am  building  up  his 
tender  mind.  Not  for  me  though,  Daddy.  Nothing 
of  that  sort  for  me.  These  things  take  people  differ- 
ently. What  I  want  here  is  literary  opium.  I  want 
something  about  fauns  and  nymphs  in  broad  low 
glades.  I  would  like  to  read  Spenser's  '  Faerie  Queene.' 
I  don't  think  I  have  read  it,  and  yet  I  have  a  very 
distinct  impression  of  knights  and  dragons  and  sor- 
cerers and  wicked  magic  ladies  moving  through  a  sort 
of  Pre-Raphaelite  tapestry  scenery  —  only  with  a 
light  on  them.  I  could  do  with  some  Hewlett  of  the 
'Forest  Lovers'  kind.  Or  with  Joseph  Conrad  in  his 
Kew  Palm-house  mood.  And  there  is  a  book,  I  once 
looked  into  it  at  a  man's  room  in  London;  I  don't 
know  the  title,  but  it  was  by  Richard  Garnett,  and  it 
was  all  about  gods  who  were  in  reduced  circumstances 
but  amidst  sunny  picturesque  scenery. —  scenery  with- 
out steel,  or  poles,  or  wire  —  a  thing  after  the  manner 
of  Heine's  '  Florentine  Nights.'  Any  book  about  Greek 
gods  would  be  welcome,  anything  about  temples  of 
ivory-colored  stone  and  purple  seas,  red  caps,  chests  of 
jewels,  and  lizards  in  the  sun.  I  wish  there  was  another 
'  Thais.'  The  men  here  are  getting  a  kind  of  newspaper 
sheet  of  literature  scraps  called  The  Times  Broadsheets. 
Snippets,  but  mostly  from  good  stuff.  They're  small 
enough  to  stir  the  appetite,  but  not  to  satisfy  it. 
Rather  an  irritant  —  and  one  wants  no  irritant.  I 
used  to  imagine  reading  was  meant  to  be  a  stimulant. 
Out  here  it  has  to  be  an  anodyne." 

The  general  tenor  of  this  fictitious  letter  is  supported 
by  the  real  letters  of  an  American  member  of  the 
Foreign  Legion,   Henry  Weston  Farnsworth,  who  died 


166      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

from  wounds  received  in  battle,  September,  191 5. 
He  wrote  to  his  father  that  he  had  not  yet  finished 
Cramb's  book,  but  could  see  how  well  written  it  was. 
"I  don't  see  why  it  makes  the  Germans  any  more 
understandable  to  you.  It,  as  far  as  I  have  gone, 
draws  them  as  maddened  and  blinded  by  jealousy. 
I  wish  Cramb  could  have  lived  to  read  how  the 
English  and  French  are  fighting." 

To  his  brother  he  confided:  "Warm  things  are  nice 
to  have  and  books  are  interesting  to  read,  that  is 
granted.  But  if  you  come  in  from  four  hours'  sentinel 
duty  in  a  freezing  rain,  with  mud  up  to  your  ankles, 
you  do  not  want  to  change  your  socks  (you  go  out 
again  in  an  hour)  and  read  a  book  on  German  thought. 
You  want  a  smoke  and  a  drink  of  hot  rum.  I  say  this 
because  several  times  I  have  been  notified  that  there 
were  packages  for  me  at  the  paymaster's  office.  To 
go  there  hoping  for  such  things,  and  receive  a  dry  book 
and  a  clean  pair  of  socks  has  been  known  to  raise  the 
most  dreadful  profanity.  Don't  dwell  on  this.  It's 
only  amusing  at  bottom."  He  says  that  "the  only 
kick  he  has  about  mail"  is  that  Life,  which  he  had 
much  enjoyed,  had  stopped  coming.  He  read  Charles 
Lamb,  "Pickwick,"  Plutarch,  a  deal  of  cheap  French 
novels,  and  "War  and  Peace"  over  again,  which  he 
hopes  his  mother  will  re-read.  In  his  opinion,  Tolstoi, 
even  more  than  Stendhal,  arrives  at  complete  expres- 
sion of  military  life.  He  asks  his  people  to  send  him 
from  time  to  time  any  novel,  either  in  French  or  Eng- 
lish, that  they  may  find  interesting.  "Books  are  too 
heavy  to  carry  when  on  the  move.  The  state  of  the 
German  mind,  Plato,  or  Kant,  are  not  necessary  for 
the  moment,  and  I  have  read  Milton,  Shakespeare,  and 
Dante."     In  one  letter,   written  as  they  were  mo- 


LETTERS  FROM  THE  FRONT      167 

mentarily  expecting  to  be  called  into  action,  he  notes 
that  his  friend  is  very  calm  and  is  reading  the  Weekly 
Times,  including  the  advertisements. 

Another  Legionnaire  and  contemporary  of  Farns- 
worth  at  Harvard,  Victor  Chapman,  though  not 
essentially  a  bookish  man,  has  left  in  his  letters l 
evidence  of  the  effect  that  reading  had  on  him  while 
serving  in  the  American  Aviation  Corps.  Under  date 
of  May  i£,  i9i5,  he  writes:  "After  twenty  minutes 
the  shooting  lessened  and  we  turned  to  other  things  — 
I  to  reading  Lamb,  whom  I  found  tedious  till  I  hit  the 
'  Dissertation  on  Roast  Pig.' '  A  few  days  later  he 
"attacked  the  'Autocrat',"  but  felt  he  had  to  read 
such  a  lot  to  get  a  little  nutrition  that  he  thought  it 
hardly  worth  while. 

A  fellow  Legionnaire  says  that  Chapman  "received 
almost  all  the  Paris  newspapers  and  magazines,  not  to 
speak  of  novels  and  volumes  of  poetry.  One  day  he 
also  received  a  book  from  America.  Chapman  undid 
the  parcel,  and  buried  himself  in  his  cabin;  when  he 
came  out  some  hours  later  he  was  joyful,  exuberant; 
he  had  read  at  a  sitting  the  anti-German  book  that  his 
father  had  published  in  New  York  to  enlighten  those 
fellows  over  there."  The  book  was  the  one  entitled 
"Deutschland  tiber  Alles;  or  Germany  Speaks;  a 
collection  of  the  utterances  of  representative  Germans 
in  defense  of  the  war  policies  of  the  Fatherland"  (New 
York,  Putnam's,  191/1)  • 

He  tells  his  father  that  he  thinks  the  book  capital, 
that  he  "had  seen  one  or  two  of  those  fool  remarks, 
but  not  by  any  means  the  greater  part.  I  hope  it 
sells,  for  it  shows  up  their  craziness  so  wonderfully  well. 

1  Victor  Chapman's  letters  from  France;  with  memoir  by  John  Jay 
Chapman.     New  York:   Macmillan,  19 17. 


168      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

I  have  been  reading  my  Galsworthy  again;  a  collection 
of  English  verse  by  a  Frenchman,  bad  as  a  selection  of 
verse,  but  still  interesting;  a  short  story  by  Alfred  de 
Vigny,  and  your  Homeric  Scenes.  Strange  and  violent 
ends  some  of  the  books  of  Frise  have  come  to.  Outside 
our  cabin  door  I  found,  for  cleaning  the  gamelles,  the 
pages  of  the  Swiss  Family  Robinson  in  French;  while 
yesterday,  before  another  cabin,  I  found  pages  of 
Quentin  Durward,  also  in  French.  British  authors  are 
not  the  only  sufferers,  however.  The  third  volume, 
yet  intact,  except  the  back  cover,  of  the  Meditations 
of  St.  Ignatius  is  placed  over  the  stove  for  lighting  the 
pipes." 

In  other  letters  he  reports  a  total  relaxation  from 
war  and  the  like  by  reviewing  the  Harvard  Dental 
School  requirements  for  admission  and  talking  over 
examinations  with  a  comrade  who  thought  of  taking 
up  dentistry  when  he  was  through  with  aviation. 

He  says  that  he  relishes  the  New  York  Tribunes 
which  were  being  sent  him  frequently,  adding  that 
they  kept  him  a  bit  in  touch  with  America,  even  though 
they  were  three  weeks  old  when  they  arrived. 

Personal  narratives  of  the  great  war  are  rapidly 
increasing  in  number.  Among  those  most  interesting 
in  connection  with  our  present  theme  are  "Letters 
from  Flanders,  written  by  2nd  Lieut.  A.  D.  Gillespie, 
Argyll  and  Sutherland  Highlanders,  to  his  home  people  " 
(London,  Smith,  Elder  &  Co.,  19 16).  Gillespie  was  a 
Winchester  College  and  Oxford  University  man  who 
was  studying  law  at  the  Inns  of  Court  when  he  enlisted 
in  August,  i9i4- 

He  writes  that  between  eating,  sleeping  and  writing 
he  can't  find  much  time  to  read,  but  he  manages  in 
the  first  months  of  his  service  to  get  through  Dante's 


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LETTERS  FROM  THE  FRONT      169 

Inferno,  and  asks  that  his  copy  of  Paradise  Lost  be 
sent  him  from  home,  together  with  Scott's  "Bride  of 
Lammermoor"  or  any  other  Scott  in  a  cheap  edition 
—  "in  fact  anything  solid,  for  I  don't  think  sixpenny 
novels  would  go  down  so  well  at  present.  .  .  . 
A  Sphere  or  an  Illustrated  [London  News']  would  be 
interesting  to  me,  and  to  the  men  afterwards.  ...  I 
have  got  H.  S.  Merriman's  'Velvet  Glove'  to  read,  but 
so  far  I  seem  to  have  been  busy  digging,  eating  or 
sleeping.  .  .  .  [Merriman]  doesn't  perhaps  go  very 
deep,  but  he  can  tell  a  rattling  good  story,  which  many 
of  those  modern  psychological  novelists,  with  their 
elaborate  analysis  of  character  and  of  sensation,  quite 
fail  to  do.  .  .  .  Merriman  talks  of  the  'siren  sound  of 
the  bullet,  a  sound  which  the  men,  when  they  have 
once  heard  it,  cannot  live  without';  but  I  don't  think 
I  shall  want  you  to  fire  volleys  under  my  window  to 
put  me  to  sleep  when  I  get  home.  .  .  . 

"I  wanted  to  get  some  French  newspapers,  but  I 
could  only  find  an  old  Matin,  with  nothing  in  it  except 
translations  from  the  London  papers.  .  .  . 

"I  got  hold  of  a  German  paper  yesterday;  it  had  a 
short  account  of  a  football  match  in  Berlin,  so  did  a 
French  paper  of  one  in  Paris  the  other  day.  But 
what  interested  me  was  to  notice  that  they  gave  very 
fairly  and  accurately  the  British  Admiralty's  report  of 
one  day's  operations  in  the  Dardanelles,  except  that 
they  multiplied  the  number  of  our  dead  by  four.  I 
know  this  because  I  happened  to  have  noticed  the 
figures;  and  so  had  another  subaltern.  That  is  just 
typical  of  their  system  in  all  their  reports.  They  tell 
as  much  truth  as  they  think  necessary  to  hide  their 
lies  —  or,  rather,  tell  as  many  lies  as  they  think  their 
public  can  reasonably  swallow.  .  .  . 


170      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

"I  have  got  hold  of  a  book  of  Tolstoi's  stories. 
There's  something  very  charming  about  them,  they 
are  so  direct  and  simple;  and  in  the  same  book  one  has 
sketches  of  Sevastopol  during  the  siege,  —  curious 
reading  just  now,  when  we  are  doing  our  best  to  give 
the  Russians  what  we  fought  to  prevent  them  getting 
sixty  years  ago.  I  once  read  them  before  in  French, 
and  I  think  I'm  right  in  saying  that  he  doesn't  mention 
the  British  once  —  it's  always  the  French,  and  yet  we 
all  have  the  habit  of  thinking  that  we  did  all  the 
fighting  in  the  Crimea." 

At  another  time  he  writes: 

"I  wish  you  would  give  me,  as  a  birthday  present, 
Gibbon  in  Everyman's.  Send  out  a  couple  of  volumes 
at  a  time;  then  I  can  get  rid  of  them  as  I  read  them. 
For  even  though  it  takes  time  and  men  and  ships  to 
force  the  Dardanelles,  I  think  the  story  of  Constanti- 
nople will  be  taken  up  again  where  it  was  left  in  i455. 

"The  Sphere  never  comes  now.  I  don't  mind  for 
myself,  because  I  always  see  it  in  the  mess,  but  if  you 
are  ordering  it,  it  ought  to  come,  and  the  men  might 
like  to  see  it.  Send  me  on  two  copies  of  Forbes- 
Mitchell's  'Reminiscences  of  the  Indian  Mutiny,' 
(Macmillan's  one  shilling  series).  He  was  a  sergeant 
in  the  93d,  and  I  remember  that  at  Sunderland  two 
copies  which  I  gave  my  platoon  were  very  popular.  .  .  . 
And  if  you  will  give  it  to  me  for  a  birthday  present,  I 
should  like  to  read  a  book  which  has  just  come  out, 
'Ordeal  by  battle,'  by  F.  S.  Oliver;  he  used  to  write  a 
good  deal  for  the  Round  Table,  which,  by  the  way,  I 
have  not  seen  lately.  Send  me  the  current  number 
and  others  as  they  come  out  ...  I  used  to  take  it 
regularly,  but  I'm  afraid  I  have  missed  several  quarters 
since  last  August." 


LETTERS  FROM  THE  FRONT      171 

The  anonymous  "Letters  of  a  soldier,  igi4-i9i5," 
written  by  a  French  artist  to  his  mother,  and  translated 
by  "V.  M."  (London,  Constable,  1917),  are  full  of 
references  to  the  influences  of  books  and  reading  on  his 
cultivated  mind.  The  following  extracts  show  how  he 
at  least  carried  out  the  injunction  of  an  eminent 
French  military  authority,  Colonel  Emile  Manceau, 
who  at  the  very  height  of  hostilities  said:  "Let  us 
read,  let  us  give  much  time  to  reading." 

"Aug.  6,  1914.  What  we  miss  is  news;  there  are 
no  longer  any  papers  to  be  had  in  this  town. 

"Aug.  26.  I  was  made  happy  by  Maurice  Barres's 
fine  article,  'VAigle  et  le  Rossignol,'  which  corresponds 
in  every  detail  with  what  I  feel. 

"Oct.  23.  I  have  re-read  Barres's  article,  'VAigleet 
le  Rossignol.,  It  is  still  as  beautiful,  but  it  no  longer 
seems  in  complete  harmony. 

"Oct.  28.  I  am  glad  that  you  have  read  Tolstoi: 
he  also  took  part  in  war.  He  judged  it;  he  accepted 
its  teaching.  If  you  can  glance  at  the  admirable 
'War  and  Peace,'  you  will  find  pictures  that  our 
situation  recalls.  It  will  make  you  understand  the 
liberty  for  meditation  that  is  possible  to  a  soldier  who 
desires  it. 

"Sept.  21.  To  sleep  in  a  ditch  full  of  water  has  no 
equivalent  in  Dante,  but  what  must  be  said  of  the 
awakening,  when  one  must  watch  for  the  moment  to 
kill  or  be  killed! 

"Jan.  i3,  1915.  I  did  not  tell  you  enough  what 
pleasure  the  Revues  hebdomadaires  gave  me.  I  found 
some  extracts  from  that  speech  on  Lamartine  which  I 
am  passionately  fond  of.  Circumstances  led  this  poet 
to  give  to  his  art  only  the  lowest  place.  Life  in  general 
closed  him  round,  imposing  on  his  great  heart  a  more 


172      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

serious  and  immediate  task  than  that  which  awaited 
his  genius. 

"Jan.  17.  What  surpasses  our  understanding  (and 
yet  what  is  only  natural)  is  that  civilians  are  able  to 
continue  their  normal  life  while  we  are  in  torment. 
I  saw  in  the  Cri  de  Paris,  which  drifted  as  far  as  here, 
a  list  of  concert  programmes.  What  a  contrast! 
However,  mother  dear,  the  essential  thing  is  to  have 
known  beauty  in  moments  of  grace. 

"  Jan.  19.  I  have  received  two  parcels;  the  '  Chanson 
de  Roland''  gives  me  infinite  pleasure  —  particularly 
the  Introduction,  treating  of  the  national  epic  and  of 
the  Mahabharata  which,  it  seems,  tells  of  the  fight 
between  the  spirits  of  good  and  evil. 

"Feb.  2.  I  am  delighted  by  the  Reviews.  In  an 
admirable  article  on  Louis  Veuillot  I  noticed  this 
phrase:  '0  my  God,  take  away  my  despair  and  leave 
my  grief!'  Yes,  we  must  not  misunderstand  the 
fruitful  lesson  taught  by  grief,  and  if  I  return  from 
this  war  it  will  most  certainly  be  with  a  soul  formed 
and  enriched. 

"I  also  read  with  pleasure  the  lectures  on  Moliere, 
and  in  him,  as  elsewhere,  I  have  viewed  again  the 
solitude  in  which  the  highest  souls  wander.  But  I 
owe  it  to  my  old  sentimental  wounds  never  to  suffer 
again  through  the  acts  of  others. 

"Feb.  li.  Dear,  I  was  reflecting  on  Tolstoi's  title 
'War  and  Peace.'  I  used  to  think  that  he  wanted 
to  express  the  antithesis  of  these  two  states,  but  now 
I  ask  myself  if  he  did  not  connect  these  two  contraries 
in  one  and  the  same  folly,  —  if  the  fortunes  of  humanity, 
whether  at  war  or  at  peace,  were  not  equally  a  burden 
to  his  mind. 

"Feb.  6.    Mother  dear,  I  am  living  over  again  the 


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LETTERS  FROM  THE  FRONT      173 

lovely  legend  of  Sarpedon;  and  that  exquisite  flower 
of  Greek  poetry  really  gives  me  comfort.  If  you  will 
read  this  passage  of  the  Iliad  in  the  beautiful  translation 
by  Lecomte  de  l'lsle,  you  will  see  that  Zeus  utters  in 
regard  to  destiny  certain  words  in  which  the  divine 
and  the  eternal  shine  out  as  nobly  as  in  the  Christian 
Passion.  He  suffers,  and  his  fatherly  heart  undergoes 
a  long  battle,  but  finally  he  permits  his  son  to  die  and 
Hypnos  and  Thanatos  are  sent  to  gather  up  the  beloved 
remains. 

"Hypnos  —  that  is  Sleep.  To  think  that  I  should 
come  to  that,  I  for  whom  every  waking  hour  was  a 
waking  joy,  I  for  whom  every  moment  was  a  thrill  of 
pride.  I  catch  myself  longing  for  the  escape  of  Sleep 
from  the  tumult  that  besets  me.  But  the  splendid 
Greek  optimism  shines  out  as  in  those  vases  at  the 
Louvre.  By  the  two,  Hypnos  and  Thanatos,  Sarpedon 
is  lifted  to  a  life  beyond  his  human  death;  and  as- 
suredly Sleep  and  Death  do  wonderfully  magnify  and 
continue  our  mortal  fate. 

"Thanatos  —  that  is  a  mystery,  and  it  is  a  terror 
only  because  the  urgency  of  our  transitory  desires 
makes  us  misconceive  the  mystery.  But  read  over 
again  the  great  peaceful  words  of  Maeterlinck  in  his 
book  on  death,  words  ringing  with  compassion  for  our 
fears  in  the  tremendous  passage  of  mortality. 

"March  3.  I  have  been  stupefied  by  the  noise  of 
the  shells.  Think  —  from  the  French  side  alone  forty 
thousand  have  passed  over  our  heads,  and  from  the 
German  side  about  as  many,  with  this  difference,  that 
the  enemy  shells  burst  right  upon  us.  For  my  own 
part,  I  was  buried  by  three  3o5  shells  at  once,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  innumerable  shrapnel  going  off  close 
by.    You  may  gather  that  my  brain  was  a  good  deal 


174      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

shaken.  And  now  I  am  reading.  I  have  just  read  in 
a  magazine  an  article  on  three  new  novels,  and  that 
reading  relieved  many  of  the  cares  of  battle. 

"March  n.  I  have  nothing  to  say  about  my  life, 
which  is  filled  up  with  manual  labor.  At  moments 
perhaps  some  image  appears,  some  memory  rises.  I 
have  just  read  a  fine  article  by  Renan  on  the  origins  of 
the  Bible.  I  found  it  in  a  Revue  des  deux  mondes  of 
1886.  If  later  I  can  remember  something  of  it,  I  may 
be  able  to  put  my  very  scattered  notions  on  that 
matter  into  better  order. 

"March  17.  The  other  day,  reading  an  old  Revue 
des  deux  mondes  of  1880,  I  came  upon  an  excellent 
article  as  one  might  come  upon  a  noble  palace  with 
vaulted  roof  and  decorated  walls.  It  was  on  Egypt, 
and  was  signed  Georges  Perrot." 

The  published  letters  of  the  late  Arthur  George 
Heath,  fellow  of  New  College,  Oxford,  and  lieutenant 
in  the  Royal  West  Kent  Regiment,  show  that  there 
was  a  good  deal  of  the  bookworm  about  him,  as  he 
himself  recognized.  He  writes  from  France  that  he 
is  quite  comfortable,  but  would  really  like  a  little 
literature.  "If  we  are  in  for  trench  work,  it  will  come 
in  handy,"  says  he.  "I  would  like  Belloc's  'General 
Sketch  of  the  European  War,'  and,  if  you  would  not 
mind  my  being  so  luxurious,  the  Oxford  'Book  of 
English  Verse'  in  as  small  a  size  as  you  can  get  it.  .  .  . 
I've  found  time  here  to  read  quite  a  lot  of  novels, 
mostly  very  bad  ones.  I  wonder  if  Turgenev  would 
be  good  for  the  trenches?  .  .  .  Don't  suggest  that  I 
should  read  '  War  and  Peace.'  If  one  makes  ambitious 
plans  like  that,  one  certainly  gets  killed  in  the  midst  of 
them.  .  .  . 
"I  have  ploughed  through  Buchan's  'History  of  the 


LETTERS  FROM  THE  FRONT      175 

War,'  —  six  volumes,  and  no  end  of  names  you  cannot 
remember!  This  will  give  you  an  idea  of  the  leisure 
we  get  here  [in  reserve]  compared  with  what  was, 
and,  perhaps,  with  what  will  be.  The  Oxford  Book  of 
Verse  has  been  such  a  pleasure  in  the  trenches.  I 
don't  get  time  there  to  read  anything  long,  and  a  little 
poem  now  and  then  warms  the  vitals,  as  the  old  lady 
said  of  her  gin  and  water." 

In  a  letter  written  by  Harold  Chapin,  the  dramatist, 
to  his  mother  and  found  in  his  pocketbook  after  his 
death,  occurs  this  paragraph: 

"Books  —  yes,  I  want  a  pocket  Browning  with 
everything  in  it!  Is  such  a  thing  to  be  had,  I  wonder? 
Of  course,  I've  got  sizable  pockets.  Still  it's  a  tall 
order.  Anyway,  I  want  'Paracelsus'  and  'Men  and 
Women'  particularly." 

In  an  earlier  letter  to  his  wife  he  had  asked  for 
"The  Revenge"  and  King  Henry's  speeches  —  "the 
one  about  England  and  the  one  beginning  'Upon  the 
King'  and  the  charioteer's  speech  from  Euripides  in 
Gilbert  Murray's  translation.  Oh  Lord,  what  is  the 
play?  I  suppose  I  must  do  without  it.  Send  the 
others  at  once  though.    This  is  really  important." 

R.  A.  L.,  the  author  of  "Letters  of  a  Canadian 
Stretcher-bearer,"  has  a  number  of  references  to  reading 
at  the  Front: 

"When  I  read  the  American  magazines  —  or  rather 
read  the  ads.  —  I  just  ache  to  be  back.  I  found  some 
new  'Penrod'  stories  and  also  some  '  Wallingford ' 
ones.  Oh!  Gee!  but  it's  fine  to  read  something  five 
again!    I've  got  hold  of  a  book  called  'Queed.'  .  .  . 

"For  the  last  hour,  I've  been  reading  the  Bystander, 
Sketch  and  old  newspapers,  and  altogether  enjoying 
myself.  .  .  . 


176      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

"What  must  be  the  general  make-up  of  a  person's 
mind  who  collects,  packs  and  mails  all  the  way  from 
Canada  a  parcel  of  'literature'  for  the  boys  in  France 
—  consisting  of  Literary  Digests  dated  191 2?  I  see 
some  one  has  done  it  here.     Queer,  eh!  .  .  . 

"  By  the  way,  will  you  find  out  if  there  are  any  books 
on  the  subject  of  trench  first-aid?  It  will  have  to  be 
some  that  are  written  since  the  war,  of  course.  The 
first-aid  books  generally  sold  are  no  good  for  up  the 
fine,  as  they  don't  take  account  of  conditions  under 
which  the  work  has  to  be  done.  If  you  find  anything 
that  may  be  of  use,  I  should  like  to  have  it.  .  .  . 

"I  have  really  got  hold  of  a  Saturday  Post  with  a 
yarn  by  Gardner  in  it.  Reading  matter  has  been 
terribly  scarce  here  all  the  time.  To  have  a  Post 
is  to  be  in  real  luck  —  though  somehow  looking  at  the 
'ads'  and  things  always  makes  me  homesick.  .  .  . 
It's  all  so  different,  like  going  on  leave;  the  fact  that 
people  have  comforts  and  luxuries,  can  be  free,  hits 
you  like  the  concussion  of  a  shell." 

"Books  here  are  plentiful  enough  in  a  way,  and  I 
keep  getting  them  and  losing  them  by  lending,"  writes 
an  English  bookseller  who  is  now  in  service  in  France. 
"Anything  I  recommend  goes  steadily  round  the 
battalion,  and  I  hear  many  appreciative  remarks  which 
warm  the  heart  of  a  bookseller.  The  men  can  read 
excellent  stuff  when  it  is  put  before  them.  This  fact 
encourages  in  me  a  belief  held,  that  booksellers  function 
truly  when  they  sell  the  best  books  for  the  book's 
sake.  I  have  been  delighted  recently  with  a  local 
revival  of  interest  in  Shakespeare,  and  have  watched 
with  delight  the  progress  of  a  Sergeant-Major  through 
Hamlet  —  the  wonder,  the  appreciation  of  something 
great.    The   officers   are   all  keen   on  modern   stuff. 


LETTERS  FROM  THE  FRONT       177 

Among  them  I  have  lost  a  Swinburne  and  a  Yeats, 
and  have  persuaded  another  that  he  knows  little  of 
modern  fiction  if  he  has  not  read  Butler's  '  Way  of  all 
Flesh."' 

In  commenting  on  this,  another  bookman  writes: 
"My  own  experience  with  the  soldier  friends  I  have 
come  across  has  been  that  they  are  only  too  anxious 
to  find  worth-while  books;  that  they  would  rather 
find  another  form  of  recreation  than  waste  their  time 
on  unsatisfying  literature.  In  one  instance  where  I 
had  handed  a  man  a  copy  of  Arthur  C.  Benson's  works 
I  was  subsequently  asked  to  send  a  list  of  essayists 
who  were  worth  reading.  The  soldier  was  not  a 
'high-brow';  he  was  of  the  non-reader  type  and  had 
been  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Evidently  what  the 
soldiers  want  most  of  all  is  a  reader's  guide." 


178      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 
l\.    PICTURES    AND    POETRY 

After  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  service  on  a  Sunday  morning 
at  the  front  not  long  ago,  an  officer  who  evidently  had 
been  thinking  along  some  special  lines  as  he  sat  with 
his  men,  remarked:  " Do  you  know,  this  hour  has  been 
a  very  wonderful  one  for  me!  It  isn't  that  the  service 
itself  has  moved  me  in  any  particular  way,  but  as  I 
took  my  place  my  eye  fell  on  that  picture.  It  took 
me  back  to  the  nursery  at  home,  and  all  the  while 
I  have  been  in  this  hut  the  memories  of  childhood 
and  the  sanctities  of  home  have  been  calling  in  my 
heart."  The  picture  that  made  such  a  deep  impres- 
sion was  an  ordinary  print  of  Millais'  "Bubbles." 

The  idea  of  supplying  pictures  for  the  soldiers  is 
probably  a  new  one  even  to  the  people  who  are  thinking 
about  the  welfare  and  comfort  of  the  men  at  the 
front.  But  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  authorities  are  anxious  to 
have  every  hut,  barn,  cellar  and  dug-out  that  they 
have,  suggest  thoughts  of  home  to  the  men  who  are 
using  them.  They  want  to  have  good  pictures  in 
their  "Quiet  Rooms,"  knowing  the  silent  ministry  of 
such  furnishings  upon  all  who  spend  a  few  minutes 
there  in  reading  or  meditation.  They  would  also 
like  to  have  pictures  to  give  the  men  to  put  up  in  their 
own  billets,  messes  and  dug-outs. 

In  their  printed  appeal  for  support  of  this  special 
work,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  says  that:  "The  display  of 
crude  or  objectionable  pictures  has  increased  of  late, 
chiefly  because  in  many  places  there  is  little  or  nothing 
else  to  be  had.  If  you  could  spend  a  single  day  amidst 
the  desolation  and  monotony  of  a  modern  battle-field, 
or  out  in  the  wastes  of  sand  where  our  armies  are  to 
be  found  in  Egypt  or  Mesopotamia,  you  would  under- 


PICTURES    AND    POETRY  179 

stand  why  any  bit  of  color,  anything  with  human  life 
in  it,  is  so  eagerly  seized  upon  by  a  soldier.  It  keeps 
his  imagination  alive.  He  finds  it  a  refuge  from  sheer 
mental  and  spiritual  shipwreck.  That  is  another 
reason  why  we  should  send  him  the  best,  and  plenty 
of  it.  We  are  making  a  great  effort  to  send  out  at 
least  twenty  or  thirty  cartoons,  color  prints,  black- 
and-white  drawings,  and  half-tone  reproductions  for 
the  decoration  of  each  center  where  we  are  at  work. 
We  hope  also  for  a  large  reserve  from  which  to  supply 
every  man  who  would  like  a  picture  or  two  for  himself. 
The  Challenge  newspaper  has  for  some  time  been 
attempting  to  meet  this  demand  thru  the  Chaplain's 
department  and  will  continue  to  do  so.  We  are  work- 
ing in  close  touch,  especially  as  regards  the  purchasing 
of  prints." 

Artists,  curators  of  art  galleries,  heads  of  picture- 
publishing  firms,  editors  and  proprietors  of  popular 
illustrated  weeklies,  chiefs  of  the  poster  departments 
of  railways  and  shipping  lines,  and  many  friends  in 
various  walks  of  life  are  cooperating  with  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  authorities.  But  the  leaders  are  asking  those 
interested  to  organize  a  collection  among  their  per- 
sonal friends  or  get  together  an  influential  group  of 
people  for  a  thorough  canvass  of  their  locality.  They 
have  been  offered  greatly  reduced  rates  by  firms  in 
the  trade,  and  are  therefore  able  to  spend  money  to 
much  greater  advantage  than  the  private  purchaser. 
It  is  estimated  that  it  will  cost  about  £4.  to  furnish 
a  hut  with  suitable  pictures.  Unframed  pictures  are 
best,  and  colored  ones  are  preferred  to  black  and 
white,  tho  both  are  needed.  Before  sending  in  prints, 
it  is  requested  that  a  list  of  those  proposed  for  sending 
be  submitted  so  that  the  authorities  can  see  whether 
they  are  suitable  or  not. 


180      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

The  regular  sets  of  pictures  that  are  being  sent  out 
include  drawings  of  animals,  coaching  and  hunting 
scenes,  garden,  woodland,  countryside,  seascape  and 
landscape  drawings,  figure  studies,  heads,  studies  of 
children,  series  of  famous  gallery  pictures,  humorous 
prints,  Peter  Pan,  Pickwick  scenes,  Harrison  Fisher 
prints,  The  Hundred  Best  Pictures,  and  other  port- 
folios. Good  pictures  from  the  art  monthlies,  and 
supplements  to  Christmas  numbers  of  well-known 
periodicals  are  acceptable.  Small  pictures  are  useful 
for  dug-outs  and  billets  while  larger  ones  serve  for 
huts  and  "Quiet  Rooms."  Classical  or  modern  pic- 
tures on  religious  subjects  are  much  in  demand.  "In 
fact,"  ends  the  appeal,  "we  need  everything  that  is 
really  good  of  its  kind  and  that  will  remind  men  of 
the  home  and  the  homeland  (whether  Britain  or  the 
Dominions),  of  the  ideals  and  traditions  inseparable 
from  our  nation  and  its  history,  of  chivalry  and  reli- 
gious devotion,  and  certainly  everything  that  will 
bring  a  smile  to  their  faces  and  wholesome  laughter 
to  their  lips." 

The  librarian  at  Camp  Devens  conceived  the  idea  of 
collecting  illustrative  material  for  class  room  use.  He 
wrote  to  a  dozen  librarians  asking  for  suitable  pictures 
cut  from  all  kinds  of  magazines  to  be  mounted  and  sent 
at  once  to  the  camp  library.  Within  a  week  over  1,000 
mounted  pictures  were  available  for  reference  pur- 
poses in  the  camp  library.  The  pictures  illustrated 
such  a  wide  range  of  subjects  as:  artillery,  aviation, 
camouflage,  communication  (balloons,  pigeons,  signal- 
ing, telephone,  wireless),  field  hospital  and  kitchens, 
map  drawing,  range  finding,  transportation  and  tun- 
nels. Not  having  a  regular  filing  cabinet,  wooden 
packing  boxes  were  pressed  into  service. 


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PICTURES    AND    POETRY  181 

The  pictures  have  been  used  for  exhibition  purposes. 
Green  burlap  stretched  over  one  end  of  the  library 
room  formed  the  suitable  exhibition  surface.  The 
men  coming  into  the  library  were  thus  attracted  to  the 
exhibit  and  the  books  placed  immediately  underneath. 
Two  privates  spent  their  leisure  time  on  Saturday 
afternoon  looking  over  the  picture  collection.  One 
Sunday,  a  soldier  who  had  enjoyed  these  pictures 
brought  in  his  wife  to  look  at  them.  Many  officers 
spent  considerable  time  in  going  over  the  collection 
and  making  notes  on  the  possible  use  they  might  find 
for  the  different  pictures.  There  was  a  loan  of  some 
eighty  pictures  on  trench  warfare,  wire  entanglements, 
obstacles  and  kindred  subjects,  for  use  in  illustrating 
a  lecture  given  before  the  officers  of  the  regiment  and 
repeated  in  part  to  the  men  of  several  companies  of 
the  regiment.  Diagrams  seem  to  be  as  interesting  and 
useful  as  pictures,  and  maps  are  much  in  demand. 
Lecturers  have  asked  the  librarian  for  postal  cards 
illustrative  of  the  different  war  fronts  for  use  in  the 
radioscope. 

Mr.  C.  Lewis  Hind,  the  art  critic,  in  his  book  "The 
Soldier  Boy"  gives  an  incident  which  demonstrates 
the  eloquence  and  inspiration  of  a  good  picture.  A 
young  musician,  now  a  flight  sub-lieutenant  in  the 
Royal  Navy,  is  described  as  at  home  on  leave,  sitting 
in  his  London  study,  gazing  at  a  large  photograph  of 
Rembrandt's  "Polish  Rider"  — "that  unforgettable 
picture,  a  warrior  riding  forth  through  a  romantic  land- 
scape, but  the  mission  of  this  rider  is  born  of  the 
spirit,  not  of  the  flesh:  he  rides  forth  for  right,  not  for 
might."  "That  picture  sustains  me,"  said  the  musi- 
cian-soldier. "  I  return  here  for  another  look  at  it.  Its 
message  cannot  fade.    This  war  has  taught  me  that 


l8a      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

a  picture  can  have  the  essence  of  immortality  and  can 
help  us  to  see  light  beyond  the  blackness  of  the 
moment." 

Mr.  Hind  writes  of  another  soldier  who  would 
willingly  have  been  a  preacher-painter,  but  who  had 
no  talent.  He  had  made  a  laborious  copy  of  Sic 
transit  gloria  mundi  by  Watts,  and  when  chided  for 
cherishing  so  sad  a  theme  he  said  "That  picture  is 
a  reminder  to  me  of  the  Undying  Things."  He  him- 
self died  later  a  gallant  death  for  his  country.  When 
Hind  went  to  pay  a  visit  of  condolence  to  the  lad's 
mother  he  visited  the  studio  alone.  Looking  at  the 
shrouded  figure  of  the  dead  warrior  in  Watts's  picture 
he  thought  of  his  friend  beneath  French  soil.  Death 
seemed  hateful;  life  but  a  horrid  game  of  chance. 
In  the  gathering  twilight  the  gray  picture  grew  grayer. 
"Why  did  he  like  it?"  he  murmured.  From  the 
presence  at  his  side,  felt  rather  than  seen,  came  the 
answer:  "Read  the  painted  words  above  the  warrior": 

What  I  spent  I  had 
What  I  saved  I  lost 
What  I  gave  I  have. 

To  those  who  have  not  looked  into  the  matter, 
poetry  would  seem  to  have  as  little  place  at  the  front 
as  pictures.  But  in  the  New  Republic  for  November 
25,  1916,  James  Norman  Hall  writes  of  "Poetry  under 
the  fire  test"  and  in  this  connection  recounts  certain 
experiences  of  an  old  classmate  of  his,  Mason  by  name, 
who  had  joined  the  British  Army  and  had  gone  to  the 
front. 

Mason  tells  of  his  return  to  the  first  fine  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  a  rainy  autumn  day.  His 
way  led  him  through  an  old  communication  trench 
nearly  a  foot  deep  in  water.    He  fell  into  a  short  sap 


PICTURES    AND    POETRY  l83 

leading  off  from  the  trench.  It  looked  like  the  entrance 
to  a  dug-out.  Between  the  shell  explosions  he  heard 
voices.  Pausing  for  a  moment  to  listen  he  discovered 
that  some  one  was  reading  aloud.  These  were  the 
words : 

Before  the  starry  threshold  of  Jove's  court 

My  mansion  is,  where  those  immortal  shapes 

Of  bright  aerial  spirits  live  insphered 

In  regions  mild,  of  calm  and  serene  air; 

Above  the  smoke  and  stir  of  this  dim  spot 

Which  men  call  earth,  and  with  low-thoughted  care, 

Confined  and  pestered  in  this  pinfold  here, 

Strive  to  keep  up  a  frail  and  feverish  being 

Unmindful  of  the  crown  which  virtue  gives 

After  this  mortal  change,  to  her  true  servants 

Among  the  enthroned  gods  on  sainted  seats. 

Poetry!  "Comus"!  At  such  an  hour  and  under 
such  conditions!  Mason  confessed  that  the  circum- 
stance so  affected  him  that  he  began  to  cry  like  a  baby. 
But  in  his  own  words:  "I  cried  for  pure  joy.  You 
say  that  you  would  want  to  forget  that  there  was  such 
a  thing  as  beauty  in  the  world.  Well,  I  had  forgotten. 
My  old  life  before  the  war  was  like  a  cast-off  garment 
which  I  had  forgotten  that  I  had  ever  owned.  The 
life  of  soldiering,  of  killing  and  being  killed,  of  digging 
trenches  and  graves,  seemed  to  have  been  going  on 
forever.  Then,  in  a  moment  —  how  is  one  to  tell  of 
such  an  awakening?  —  I  felt  as  the  ancient  mariner 
must  have  felt  when  the  body  of  the  albatross  slipped 
from  his  neck  and  fell  —  how  does  it  go?. —  'like  lead 
into  the  sea.'  What  I  am  trying  to  make  clear  to  you 
is  this:  without  realizing  it,  I  had  lost  my  belief  in  all 
beauty.  During  all  those  months  I  was  vaguely 
aware  of  the  lack  of  something,  but  I  didn't  know 
what  it  was.  It  is  impossible  to  think  of  that  time 
without  a  shudder. 


l84      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

"This  adventure  marked  the  beginning  of  what  I 
think  I  may  call  a  new  epoch  in  my  trench  experiences. 
The  seasons  of  fearful  depression  which  I  used  to  have 
were  past  and  gone,  although  the  life  was  just  as 
wretched  as  before.  At  night,  as  I  stood  on  sentry, 
I  would  recall  the  fragments  of  poems  I  knew  in  old 
days.  I  wrote  immediately  to  friends  in  London,  who 
prepared  for  me  a  little  trench  anthology  of  the  poems 
I  liked  best.  You  have  no  idea  what  a  comfort  they 
have  been.  I  've  put  them  through  the  fire  test,  and 
they  have  withstood  it  splendidly." 

Hall  expressed  an  interest  as  to  the  selection,  and 
his  friend  handed  him  a  booklet  in  soiled  paper  covers. 
Loose  leaves  from  books  of  various  sizes  had  been 
sewn  together  into  a  little  volume  which  went  easily 
into  the  pocket  of  the  soldier's  tunic.  Among  others 
there  were  "Kubla  Khan,"  "Comus,"  "The  Ode  on 
the  Intimations  of  Immortality,"  all  of  Keats's  odes 
and  "The  Eve  of  St.  Agnes,"  Shelley's  "Alastor," 
Henley's  "London  Voluntaries,"  and  some  selections 
from  the  nineteenth-century  sonnets  edited  by  William 
Sharp.  Hall  expressed  surprise  at  seeing  several 
poems  by  Francis  Thompson,  whom  he  had  never 
thought  of  as  a  soldier's  poet,  and  he  asked  his  friend 
why  he  was  included.  By  way  of  answer  Mason 
took  the  volume  and  read  the  first  stanza  of  "The 
Poppy." 

Heaven  set  lip  to  earth's  bosom  bare 
And  left  the  flushed  print  in  a  poppy,  there. 
Like  a  yawn  of  fire  from  the  grass  it  came 
And  the  hot  wind  fanned  it  to  flapping  flame. 

"You  haven't  stood  on  sentry  day  after  day,  watch- 
ing the  poppies  grow  in  No-Man's  Land !  We  have 
no  need  of  war  verse  in  the  trenches.    What  we  do 


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PICTURES    AND    POETRY  1 85 

need  is  something  which  will  take  our  minds  off  the 
horrors  of  modern  warfare,  after  the  strain  is  relaxed." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  all  of  you  fellows  out 
there  are  finding  solace  in  poetry?" 

"Certainly  not.  I  merely  give  you  my  own  experi- 
ence. But  you  would  be  surprised  if  you  knew  how 
many  other  men  do  find  it  essential.  Since  that 
night  in  the  communication  trench  I've  been  making 
inquiries,  very  cautiously  of  course,  for  it  would  never 
do  to  let  some  of  the  men  know  that  one  has  such 
aesthetic  tastes.  Recently,  I  met  a  sergeant  major 
whose  experience,  slight  as  it  was,  bears  out  splendidly 
this  one  of  mine.  Once,  he  said,  when  he  believed 
that  he  was  on  the  point  of  a  nervous  breakdown, 
he  remembered  suddenly  two  lines  from  Shakespeare: 

Night's  candles  are  burnt  out,  and  jocund  Day 
Stands  tiptoe  on  the  misty  mountain  tops. 

"  I  may  have  quoted  incorrectly,  although  I  think  I 
have  it  straight.  The  effect  upon  him,  he  said,  was 
really  miraculous.  His  battalion  had  been  in  the 
first  line  continuously,  for  two  weeks,  and  had  suffered 
heavy  casualties.  At  night  every  sandbag  in  the 
parapet  had  appeared  to  be  a  distorted  human  counte- 
nance. The  men  who  are  killed  in  the  trench  are 
placed  on  the  parapets,  you  know,  until  there  is  an 
opportunity  to  bury  them.  He  was  in  a  bad  way, 
but  those  two  fines  saved  him.  They  called  to  his 
mind  a  picture  of  some  place  which  he  was  sure  that 
he  had  never  seen,  but  one  of  such  great  beauty  that 
he  forgot  the  horrors  of  the  trenches.  They  became 
a  talisman  to  him,  offering  just  the  relief  he  needed  in 
times  of  great  mental  strain.    Another  fellow,  a  man 


186      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

of  my  own  company,  found  this  relief  by  repeating 
Hood's  sonnet  on  Silence.    You  remember  it? 

There  is  a  silence  where  hath  been  no  sound, 
There  is  a  silence  where  no  sound  may  be; 
In  the  cold  grave,  under  the  deep,  deep  sea, 
Or  in  wide  desert  where  no  life  is  found. 

"It's  one  of  the  finest  sonnets  in  the  language,  to 
my  way  of  thinking;  but  imagine  a  soldier  repeating 
those  fines  to  himself,  under  shell  fire!    Odd,  isn't  it?" 

"Odd?  That  is  hardly  the  word.  If  any  one  but 
you  had  told  me  of  it,  I  should  have  said  it  was  ex- 
tremely improbable." 

"My  dear  fellow,  that  is  simply  because  you  have 
never  had  occasion  to  put  poetry  to  the  test  of  fire. 
Come  out  and  join  us!  It  is  worth  all  the  hazards 
to  discover  for  one's  self  that  Beauty  is  Truth,  Truth 
Beauty.    Yes,"  he  added,  "by  Jove!  it  is  worth  it !" 

As  further  evidence  that  poetry  has  stood  the  fire 
test  let  me  quote  a  few  passages  from  Lieutenant 
Gillespie's  "Letters  from  Flanders,"  referred  to  more 
fully  in  another  section  of  this  book.  In  one  of  his 
letters  home  he  speaks  of  "a  famous  epitaph  of  Plato 
on  a  friend  who  died  young,  which  plays  on  the  con- 
trast between  the  morning  and  the  evening  star. 
Shelley  has  translated  it,  so  far  as  I  can  remember: 

Thou  wast  the  morning  star  among  the  living 

Ere  thy  pure  light  had  fled, 
Now  thou  art  gone,  thou  art  as  Hesperus  giving 

New  splendour  to  the  dead.  — 

but  the  Greek  is  simpler  and  better." 

On  the  eve  of  the  attack  in  which  Gillespie  was 
killed  he  wrote  his  father  a  long  letter  ending  thus: 
"  It  will  be  a  great  fight,  and  even  when  I  think  of  you, 


PICTURES    AND    POETRY  187 

I  would  not  wish  to  be  out  of  this.     You  remember 
Wordsworth's  '  Happy  Warrior' : 

Who  if  he  be  called  upon  to  face 

Some  awful  moment  to  which  heaven  has  joined 

Great  issues,  good  or  bad,  for  human  kind, 

Is  happy  as  a  lover,  and  is  attired, 

With  sudden  brightness  like  a  man  inspired. 

"  I  never  could  be  all  that  a  happy  warrior  should  be, 
but  it  will  please  you  to  know  that  I  am  very  happy, 
and  whatever  happens,  you  will  remember  that." 

"Just  between  you  and  me  (don't  tell  my  lieu- 
tenant)," writes  a  private  from  Camp  Lewis,  "I  very 
much  prefer  to  sit  down  to  a  little  Cymbeline,  Hamlet 
or  Lear  any  day  than  grind  over  the  stupid  I.  D.  R. 
My  beloved  books,  over  which  I  was  crazy  before  I 
came  here,  seem  now  more  precious  than  before. 
Truly  I  think  it  has  enabled  me  to  keep  up  my  spirits 
and  health,  more  than  anything  else,  to  have  a  couple 
of  hours  free  occasionally  to  sit  in  a  comfortable 
library  and  read.  And  I  have  discovered  that,  in 
proportion  as  this  camp  experience  is  vital,  all  the 
great  works  of  literature  have  a  different  —  a  larger, 
deeper,  finer  —  meaning  than  ever  before.  The  ter- 
rible war  has  a  thousand  and  one  compensations  which 
only  gradually  make  their  appearance  as  time  goes  on. 

"I  don't  know  how  it  is  in  other  libraries,  but  in 
ours  there  is  an  unusually  fine  collection  of  poetry. 
It  is  comparatively  large  and  surprisingly  well  selected. 
That  was  the  last  thing  I  expected  of  such  a  library 
but  was  happily  surprised.  In  addition  to  the  stand- 
ard poets,  there  are  such  books  as  Stephen  Phillips' 
'Paolo  and  Francesca,'  D'Annunzio's  'Francesca  da 
Ramini'  and  a  great  variety  of  contemporary  poets. 
Fiction  predominates,  as  it  should  in  such  a  library, 


188      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

and  embraces  most  of  the  standard  authors  complete. 
There  are,  however,  a  great  many  curiosities  on  the 
fiction  shelves  —  many  of  them  should  be  called  relics 
—  representing,  I  suppose,  the  gifts  of  well-meaning, 
but  untutored  patriots.  I  am  constantly  surprised 
by  the  new  (to  me)  titles  of  such  recondite  volumes. 
Let  me  assure  you  with  all  my  heart  that  anything  you 
or  the  library  in  which  you  work  may  do  for  the  camp 
libraries  is  work  well  directed  and  of  unquestioned 
service  to  the  men  who  find  themselves  in  the  army. 
/  know!" 

"I  wish  that  I  had  enough  poetry  in  me  to  thank 
you  for  this,"  said  an  American  soldier  to  a  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
worker  in  France  who  had  loaned  him  a  copy  of  the 
Oxford  Book  of  Verse.  Explaining  the  popularity  of 
poetry  among  the  soldiers,  a  man  in  Camp  Wads- 
worth  hospital  said  to  the  librarian  that  "Service 
sounds  as  if  he  were  talking  to  you." 

To  the  ample  testimony  from  men  in  camp  and  at 
the  front  as  to  the  salutary  influence  of  poetry  in  these 
tragic  times,  there  can  be  added  the  experience  of  an 
English  nurse  in  France. 

"Out  here,"  writes  Miss  E.  M.  Spearing,  V.  A.  D., 
in  her  book  "From  Cambridge  to  Camiers,"  "there 
is  not  much  time  for  reading,  but  poetry  has  resumed 
something  of  its  ancient  power  to  console  and  strengthen 
and  revive  the  spirit  of  man.  Novels,  though  useful 
enough  when  one  is  sick,  are  either  too  exciting  or  too 
incongruous  with  our  daily  work,  and  we  have  no 
time  nor  energy  for  books  that  demand  close  study. 
But  in  the  long  watches  of  the  night,  when  the  sick  or 
wounded  are  sleeping  quietly  around  us,  or  in  our  hours 
off  duty,  when  we  can  lie  for  a  little  while  on  the  cliff 
among  the  sea-pinks  and  the  tall  white  daisies  and  bask 


©  Underwood  13  Underxood 

67.   GUIDING  THE   READER 
Many  of  the  men  need  aid  in  book  selection 


©  Committee  on  Public  Information 

68.   HOSPITAL  TRAIN 

It  is  important  that  our  soldiers  be  provided  with  reading  matter  while 

on  long  journeys 


PICTURES    AND    POETRY  189 

in  the  warm  sunshine  and  the  salt  sea-breeze,  then  is 
the  time  to  take  out  a  thin  volume  of  Rupert  Brooke's 
or  James  Elroy  Flecker's  and  lose  ourselves  in  the 
beauty  that  is  never  old  and  never  tires.  My  sister 
sent  me  last  Christmas  a  book  of  '  Georgian  Poetry,' 
and  in  it  there  is  much  delight  for  tired  minds.  Here 
is  Walter  de  la  Mare's  'Music,'  and  John  Drink- 
water's  'Of  Greatham,'  with  its  remembrances  of  the 
beloved  land  from  which  for  a  while  we  are  exiles. 
There  is  John  Masefield's  unforgotten  picture  of  the 
'Wanderer.'  Even  better,  I  think  I  do  love  James 
Elroy  Flecker's  song  of  the  'Gates  of  Damascus' 
with  its  vision  of  the  four  Grand  Wardens  leaning 
on  their  spears,  and  the  four  roads  that  lead,  one  to 
gay  Aleppo,  one  to  Mecca  the  holy,  one  to  the  burning 
desert,  and  one  to  the  enchanted  sea.  And  yet, 
powerful  as  is  the  spell  of  these,  I  turn  more  often  to 
the  thin  volume  of  Rupert  Brooke's  '  igi4,'  and  find 
there  solace  and  refreshment.  It  has  the  thirst  for 
beauty  that  marks  the  other  Georgian  poets,  the 
delight  in  every  quick  and  vivid  movement  of  the 
senses,  but  it  has  something  more  too  —  a  perception 
of  the  soul  of  the  war  that  lifts  it  into  the  realm  of 
great  and  tragic  things.  More  than  any  other  poet 
of  the  time,  Rupert  Brooke  interpreted  and  embodied 
the  spirit  in  which  our  men  have  gone  to  this  fight  — 
not  from  blind  lust  of  battle  or  desire  of  conquest,  not 
as  slaves  driven  to  the  slaughter  by  a  military  tyrant, 
but  with  clear  eyes  and  steady  hands  keenly  conscious 
of  the  joy  of  life,  of  all  that  they  are  relinquishing, 
yet  willing  and  un-afraid.  To  us  here,  who  have  so 
often  to  tend  the  dying  and  grieve  for  the  dead,  it 
is  good  to  know  how  friendly  Death  looked  to  one  who 
was  so  soon  to  face  it." 


190      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Early  in  the  war  a  Scotch  lad  often  expressed  a 
wish  that  if  he  fell,  his  grave  should  be  marked  with 
a  copy  of  "The  Requiem"  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 
When  he  was  killed  one  of  the  sergeants  furnished  the 
lines  from  memory  and  they  were  engraved  on  an 
oaken  tablet  and  put  on  a  cross  over  his  last  resting- 
place: 

Under  the  wide  and  starry  sky, 

Dig  the  grave  and  let  me  he. 
Glad  did  I  live  and  gladly  die, 

And  I  laid  me  down  with  a  will. 

This  be  the  verse  you  grave  for  me: 

Here  he  lies  where  he  longed  to  be; 
Home  is  the  sailor,  home  from  sea, 

And  the  hunter  home  from  the  hill. 


THE    BIBLE    IN    THE    TRENCHES  IQI 


5.    THE   BIBLE   IN   THE   TRENCHES 

Living  his  uneventful  life  before  the  war,  the  average 
Englishman,  says  Donald  Hankey,  could  hardly  be 
said  to  possess  a  philosophy  at  all,  but  rather  a  code  of 
honor  and  morals,  based  partly  on  tradition  and  partly 
on  his  own  observation  of  the  law  of  cause  and  effect 
in  the  lives  of  his  associates.  When  war  came  and  he 
found  himself  in  the  ranks,  he  discovered  that  his 
easy-going  philosophy  did  not  quite  fit  in  with  the  new 
demands  made  on  him.  So  he  had  to  try  and  think 
things  out.  But  this  was  by  no  means  easy.  He  had 
read  very  little  that  was  of  any  help  to  him  now. 
He  could  remember  nothing  but  a  few  phrases  from  the 
Bible,  some  verses  from  Omar  Khayyam,  and  a  sentence 
or  two  from  the  Latin  Syntax.  But  when  he  found 
himself  in  a  support  trench,  heavily  shelled  by  the 
enemy,  Omar,  who  had  lived  before  the  day  of  high 
explosives,  was  of  little  comfort,  and  "it  didn't  seem 
quite  playing  the  game"  to  turn  to  the  Bible  now 
after  having  neglected  it  so  long.  Though  he  could 
not  have  defined  his  attitude  of  mind,  he  wavered 
between  fatalism  and  the  gospel  of  the  "will  to  prevail" 
and  was  near  to  becoming  a  disciple  of  Nietzsche. 

To  illustrate  how  dogma  has  lost  its  hold  on  the 
common  mind,  the  Rev.  Neville  S.  Talbot  in  his 
"Thoughts  on  Religion  at  the  Front"  tells  of  a  song  he 
often  heard  at  the  informal  concerts  given  by  the 
soldiers.  It  is  called  "The  Preacher  and  the  Bear," 
and  he  quotes  it  with  apologies  to  the  easily-shocked. 
The  song  is  about  a  colored  minister  who,  against  his 
conscience,  went  out  shooting  on  a  Sunday  and  on 


192      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

going  home  met  a  grizzly  bear.     Taking  refuge  up  a 
tree,  this  is  his  prayer. 

O  Lord,  who  delivered  Daniel  from  the  lions'  den, 

Also  Jonah  from  the  tummy  of  the  whale  —  and  then 

Three  Hebrew  chilluns  from  the  fiery  furnace, 

As  the  good  Book  do  declare  — 

O  Lord,  if  you  can't  help  me,  don't  help  that  grizzly  bear! 

"Here,"  says  Mr.  Talbot,  "is  an  epitome  of  afar- 
spreading  incredulity  about  the  Bible.  It  is  the 
higher  criticism  in  its  crudest  popular  form,  and  men 
are  at  the  mercy  of  it.  I  have  known  a  mess  of  officers 
engage  in  argument  about  the  Bible  with  a  skeptical 
Scots  doctor,  cleverer  than  they.  As  old-fashioned 
believers  in  the  Bible  they  had  to  admit  being 
thoroughly  'strafed'  in  the  argument,  yet  they  had  no 
way  out,  such  as  an  intelligent  understanding  of  the 
Bible  affords." 

This  reminds  one  of  the  sailor  to  whom  the  words 
in  the  Book  of  Revelation,  "there  was  no  more  sea," 
were  a  source  of  acute  misery.  While  unlettered  he 
was  a  deeply  religious  man,  and  also  a  literalist,  and 
he  found  the  thought  of  a  world  without  a  sea  almost 
intolerable.  The  Bible  was  to  be  believed,  but  what 
was  to  become  of  the  sailors? 

No  belligerent  government  has  deliberately  placed 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  Bible  distribution,  and  from  the 
latest  reports  available  the  offices  of  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society  were  still  open  in  Berlin,  Vienna 
and  Constantinople,  —  the  most  unlikely  places.  The 
National  Bible  Society  of  Scotland  reports  that  in 
191 7  its  office  was  still  open  in  Hungary,  though  its 
work  was  being  carried  on  under  famine  conditions. 

The  American  Bible  Society,  which  has  had  ex- 
perience in  war-time  distribution  of  the  Bible,  in  the 


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THE    BIBLE    IN    THE    TRENCHES  ig3 

Mexican  War,  the  Civil  War,  the  Russo-Japanese  War, 
the  Spanish-American  War,  and  in  the  recent  disturb- 
ances on  the  Mexican  border,  is  now  hard  at  work 
supplying  the  troops  of  to-day. 

Since  the  entrance  of  the  United  States  into  the 
war,  the  Society  has  issued  in  its  Army  and  Navy 
editions  2,23i,83i  volumes  of  Scriptures.  The  ma- 
jority of  these  have  been  free  gifts  to  the  chaplains  of 
the  United  States  Army  and  Navy  for  distribution 
among  the  troops  and  to  the  War  Work  Council  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Special  rates,  often  much  below  the  cost 
of  manufacture,  have  been  made  on  all  the  other 
copies.  The  special  grant  of  a  million  copies  of  New 
Testaments  to  the  Army  and  Navy  through  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  fulfilled  in  spite  of  all  the  difficulties 
due  to  the  fuel,  transportation  and  climatic  conditions 
from  which  the  country  suffered  during  the  past 
winter.  The  two  chief  problems  before  the  Society 
have  been  to  secure  the  necessary  funds  and  to  meet 
the  growing  demand.  There  was  a  rush  of  orders 
from  many  widely  different  sources.  The  Society's 
presses  were  running  for  weeks  up  to  two  o'clock  at 
night. 

The  copies  were  sent  to  the  troops,  first  of  all  through 
the  nine  home  agencies  of  the  Society,  most  of  which 
have  made  special  efforts  to  distribute  them.  Next 
they  used  auxiliary  societies,  such  as  the  Massachusetts 
and  the  Maryland  Bible  Societies.  Then  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.,  with  whom  the  American  Bible  Society  has  an 
understanding,  drew  very  largely  upon  its  resources. 

The  constitution  of  the  Society  prevents  its  placing 
anything  within  the  covers  of  the  Bible  except  an 
identification  page.  As  the  reserve  funds  of  the 
Society  were  exhausted,  it  was  compelled  to  raise  more 


194      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

money  by  a  special  campaign,  in  order  to  cover  the 
cost  of  the  books  already  issued,  and  make  further 
provision  for  future  issues  if  the  war  continues  for  a 
long  period. 

The  directors  of  the  Society  feel  that  every  enlisted 
man  in  the  Army  or  Navy  ought  to  have  a  Testament, 
or  a  Gospel,  or  a  whole  Bible  for  his  own  use.  Some 
of  the  men  are  glad  to  get  them  and  willing  to  pay  for 
them,  but  to  others  they  must  be  given  free.  At  one 
of  the  forts  in  New  York  Harbor,  before  the  men  were 
transferred  to  concentration  camps,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  soldiers  called  in  one  day  and  personally  asked 
for  Testaments. 

"The  Bible  is  certainly  the  best  preparation  that 
you  can  give  to  an  American  soldier  going  into 
battle  to  sustain  his  magnificent  ideal  and  faith," 
wrote  Marshal  Foch  in  a  letter  of  appreciation  of 
the  work  of  the  American  Bible  Society. 

It  is  felt  that  the  best  way  to  give  a  soldier  a  Bible 
or  a  Testament  is  to  have  it  come  from  the  people  in 
his  own  home,  his  own  town,  or  his  own  church.  They 
should  see  that  he  gets  one  before  he  leaves.  The 
Society  has  worked  through  these  channels,  and  so 
has  supplied  a  large  number  of  individuals,  churches, 
Sunday  schools  and  local  organizations.  The  North- 
eastern Department  of  the  Society's  Atlantic  Agency 
in  Pennsylvania  secured  $4oo  from  the  churches  of 
Scranton  with  which  to  buy  Bibles  for  the  soldiers 
going  from  that  city  and  region.  For  the  special  use 
of  the  Maryland  troops,  the  Maryland  Bible  Society 
ordered  10,000  copies  of  the  Scriptures  with  a  letter 
inserted  from  President  Wilson,  written  at  the  request 
of  Dr.  Goucher,  president  of  the  Maryland  Bible 
Society.    The  Massachusetts  Society  has  had  a  letter 


THE    BIBLE    IN    THE    TRENCHES  ig5 

from  the  governor  of  the  state  inserted  in  its  books 
and  has  already  given  many  thousand  copies  to  its 
troops.  The  New  York  Bible  Society,  operating  in 
New  York  City  and  Harbor,  has  distributed  25,ooo 
Testaments  and  portions,  with  a  similar  letter  from 
Colonel  Roosevelt  inserted.  The  New  York  Society 
also  issues  a  leaflet  containing  messages  from  a  score  of 
eminent  men,  including  Governor  Whitman,  General 
Leonard  Wood,  Rear-Admiral  Usher,  commending  the 
distribution. 

The  Pocket  Testament  League,  with  an  office  in  the 
Witherspoon  Building,  Philadelphia,  is  doing  an  ex- 
ceptional work  through  army  chaplains  and  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  It  has  issued  various  editions  of  the  Testament 
in  different  bindings.  One  of  these  has  the  President's 
message  to  the  troops  on  Bible  reading;  another  has 
messages  on  the  same  subject  from  General  Pershing 
and  Colonel  Roosevelt.  There  is  also  an  "emergency" 
list  of  selections  for  the  soldier  to  read  when  he  is 
lonely,  troubled  or  in  danger.  Inside  the  back  cover 
is  a  page  marked  "My  Decision,"  which  thousands  of 
soldiers  and  sailors  have  signed.  The  League  is  aiming 
to  place  1,000,000  copies  of  the  Testaments  in  the 
Army  and  Navy  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  son  of  a 
titled  woman,  a  young  officer  serving  at  the  Front, 
was  killed  and  so  mangled  that  the  only  means  of 
identification  was  the  "decision"  signature  in  an 
"active  service"  Testament  found  on  his  person. 

This  is  President  Wilson's  admonition  to  the  men 
of  the  Army  and  Navy: 

"  The  Bible  is  the  Word  of  Life.  I  beg  that  you  will 
read  it  and  find  this  out  for  yourselves  —  read,  not 
little  snatches  here  and  there,  but  long  passages  that 
will  really  be  the  road  to  the  heart  of  it.    You  will  not 


IQ&    war  libraries  and  allied  studies 

only  find  it  full  of  real  men  and  women,  but  also  of 
things  you  have  wondered  about  and  been  troubled 
about  all  your  life,  as  men  have  been  always  and 
the  more  you  read  the  more  it  will  become  plain  to 
you  what  things  are  worth  while  and  what  are  not; 
what  things  make  men  happy  —  loyalty,  right  dealing, 
speaking  the  truth,  readiness  to  give  everything  for 
what  they  think  their  duty,  and,  most  of  all,  the  wish 
that  they  may  have  the  real  approval  of  the  Christ, 
who  gave  everything  for  them;  and  the  things  that 
are  guaranteed  to  make  men  unhappy  —  selfishness, 
cowardice,  greed,  and  everything  that  is  low  and 
mean. 

"When  you  have  read  the  Bible  you  will  know  that 
it  is  the  Word  of  God,  because  you  will  have  found  it 
the  key  to  your  own  heart,  your  own  happiness,  and 
your  own  duty." 

Colonel  Roosevelt's  message  to  the  men  of  the  forces 
is  as  follows: 

"The  teachings  of  the  New  Testament  are  fore- 
shadowed in  Micah's  verse  (Micah  vi.  8):  'What 
more  does  the  Lord  require  of  thee  than  to  do  justice, 
and  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy 
God?' 

"Do  justice;  and  therefore  fight  valiantly  against 
the  armies  of  Germany  and  Turkey,  for  these  nations 
in  this  crisis  stand  for  the  reign  of  Moloch  and  Beelze- 
bub on  this  earth. 

'Love  mercy;  treat  prisoners  well,  succor  the 
wounded,  treat  every  woman  as  if  she  were  your 
sister,  care  for  the  little  children,  and  be  tender  to 
the  old  and  helpless. 

"Walk  humbly;  you  will  do  so  if  you  study  the  life 
and  teachings  of  the  Saviour. 


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THE    BIBLE    IN    THE    TRENCHES  197 

"  May  the  God  of  justice  and  mercy  have  you  in  his 
keeping." 

A  representative  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
Mission  in  France  reports  that  one  day  he  went  to 
see  a  poor,  unfortunate  soldier  in  jail  and  left  with  him 
a  New  Testament.  The  following  week  he  went 
again  to  see  him.  He  was  asked  for  copies  for  the  other 
prisoners,  and  a  Bible  for  the  guard.  "It  was  really 
impressive,"  the  pastor  writes,  "to  see  that  poor 
fellow  behind  the  iron  gate  smiling  at  me  and  sending 
me  greetings  of  thanks  and  gratitude." 

Among  the  negroes  employed  there,  says  the  same 
pastor,  was  one  who  already  knew  a  little  of  the  New 
Testament.  On  Easter  Monday  he  was  seen  crying 
like  a  child.  He  had  in  his  hand  the  book  which  had 
been  given  him  and  a  letter. 

"What  have  you  got,  my  lad?"  asked  the  pastor. 

"  I  heard  wife  dead  in  Madagascar,  and  me  read  the 
New  Testament." 

Another  negro  from  New  Caledonia  wrote: 

"  I  ask  you  for  some  more  many  copies  of  the  Gospel 
for  comrades,  and  one  Saint  Mathieu  for  me.  Me 
doing  well,  —  and  you,  my  pastor,  and  your  son,  and 
your  daughter? 

"  I  am  your  son  who  loves  you. 

"  Danis." 

An  English  soldier  was  sitting  on  his  bed  reading 
his  Bible,  when  several  gathered  round,  and  one  said, 
"Don't  keep  it  all  to  yourself,  lad.  If  you  read  it 
aloud,  we  can  all  hear."  He  had  quite  a  good  audience 
as  he  read  several  chapters.  After  that,  Bible  reading 
in  that  hut  became  a  regular  thing,  and  the  young 
man  was  frequently  called  upon  to  explain  passages. 


198      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

The  Red  Cross,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Knights  of  Columbus 
and  Young  Men's  Hebrew  Association,  working  side 
by  side  for  the  welfare  of  the  soldiers,  have  done  much 
to  break  down  denominationalism.  A  story  is  told  of 
a  Catholic  priest  asking  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary  for 
a  Protestant  Testament  to  take  to  a  Jewish  boy  in  the 
hospital. 

A  pastor  who  always  carries  with  him  a  few  Testa- 
ments for  distribution,  gave  one  to  a  young  soldier. 
Months  later  the  pastor  was  visiting  a  hospital  and 
was  accosted  by  this  same  soldier,  who,  coming  up, 
grasped  him  by  the  hand  most  cordially  and  said: 

"You  do  not  know  me,  do  you?  But  I  remember 
you.  In  fact  I  shall  never  forget  you.  I  owe  you  a 
debt  I  can  never  repay.  You  remember  that  some 
months  ago  you  were  distributing  New  Testaments  at 

the  station  of  X ,  and  you  gave  me  one.     I  put 

it  in  my  bag,  and  when  I  got  out  to  the  front,  in  the 
midst  of  the  awful  scenes  of  destruction,  facing  danger 
and  death,  when  one  did  not  know  what  the  moment 
would  bring,  I  found  time  to  read  the  little  book  you 
gave  me.  I  am  a  changed  man.  And  it  is  your  little 
book  that  has  done  it.  I  do  not  know  how  I  can  ever 
thank  you  enough!" 

A  member  of  the  Kansas  cavalry  said:  "I  have 
neglected  my  Bible,  but  I  am  now  beginning  to  find 
out  that  missing  the  reading  of  the  Book  is  just  like 
forgetting  to  brush  one's  teeth.  It  seems  to  make 
an  unclean  feeling  come  upon  me.  So  I  am  now  keep- 
ing up  my  reading  pretty  well." 

A  soldier  of  the  Second  Pennsylvania  Infantry  said 
to  his  chaplain:  "This  is  not  the  kind  of  Bible  I 
wanted."  When  asked  what  kind  he  did  want,  he 
replied:    "I  want  an  Old  Testament  with  the  Lord's 


THE    BIBLE    IN    THE    TRENCHES  199 

Prayer  in  it."  The  chaplain  told  him  that  it  had  not 
yet  been  published.  The  soldier  said  he  thought  that 
was  what  he  wanted.  "At  least,  I  want  the  part  of 
the  Bible  that  I  can  read  every  day."  When  the 
chaplain  told  him  that  he  could  read  any  part  of  it 
daily,  the  soldier  was  not  satisfied.  He  said,  "My 
mother  used  to  read  me  one  part  of  the  Bible  every 
day  and  that  is  what  I  want."  The  chaplain  then 
began  quoting  the  23d  Psalm.  "That's  it.  That's 
what  I  want,"  he  cried. 

Certainly  in  the  wars  of  old  the  thunder  of  the 
Psalms  was  an  antidote  for  the  thunder  of  battle. 
In  the  Crusades,  there  were  but  few  battles  against 
the  Saracens  in  which  there  was  not  sung  the  Venite 
of  the  g5th  Psalm,  the  battle  cry  of  the  Templars. 

In  i38o,  when  the  Tartar  hordes  were  advancing  on 
Moscow,  Demetrius,  Grand  Prince  of  Russia,  advanced 
to  meet  the  invaders  on  the  banks  of  the  Don.  After 
reading  the  46th  Psalm,  "God  is  our  refuge  and 
strength,"  he  plunged  into  the  fight  which  ended  in 
the  defeat  of  the  Tartars. 

The  Psalms  were  the  war-shout  of  John  Sobieski. 
From  them  the  Great  Armada  took  its  motto.  They 
were  the  watchwords  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  and 
Cromwell,  the  battle  hymn  of  the  Huguenots  and  the 
Cevennois. 

At  the  battle  of  Courtrai  in  1587  the  Huguenots 
chanted  the  24th  and  25th  verses  of  the  11 8th  Psalm. 
"The  cowards  are  afraid,"  cried  a  young  courtier  to 
the  Due  de  Joyeuse,  who  commanded  the  Roman 
Catholics;  "they  are  confessing  themselves."  "Sire," 
said  a  scarred  veteran,  "when  the  Huguenots  behave 
thus,  they  are  ready  to  fight  to  the  death." 

In  Great  Britain's  Civil  War  the  beginning  of  a 


200      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

battle  was  frequently  heralded  by  the  singing  of 
Psalms.  This  was  true  of  the  Battle  of  Marston  Moor. 
As  his  troopers  bore  the  body  of  John  Hampden  to  his 
grave,  they  chanted  the  90th  Psalm,  which  since  1662 
has  had  its  place  in  the  burial  service  of  the  Prayer 
Book. 

The  Psalms  were  the  battle  cry  of  the  Huguenots  in 
170/i  when  Cavalier  won  a  brilliant  victory.  It  was 
with  the  singing  of  the  48  th  Psalm  that  Roland,  one 
of  the  Camisard  leaders,  routed  the  Royalists  at  the 
Bridge  of  Salindres  in  1709. 

Reading  and  believing  as  did  these  warriors  of  old, 
produced  men  of  the  type  of  Sir  Richard  Grenville, 
who,  with  his  hundred  men  and  his  little  forty-ton 
frigate,  fought  against  fifty-three  Spanish  ships  of 
war  manned  with  ten  thousand  men.  Sir  Richard's 
last  words  have  been  lovingly  preserved  for  us  by 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh: 

"Here  die  I,  Richard  Grenville,  with  a  joyful  and 
quiet  mind,  for  that  I  have  ended  my  life  as  a  true 
soldier  ought  to  do,  that  hath  fought  for  his  country, 
queen,  religion,  and  honor.  Whereby  my  soul  most 
joyfully  departeth  out  of  this  body,  and  shall  always 
leave  behind  it  an  everlasting  fame  of  a  valiant  and 
true  soldier  that  hath  done  his  duty  as  he  was  bound 
to  do." 


BOOKS    FOR    BLINDED    SOLDIERS  201 

6.    BOOKS  FOR  BLINDED   SOLDIERS 

Last  spring,  in  the  recreation  room  of  an  English 
military  hospital,  I  was  watching  a  group  of  wounded 
men  playing  billiards.  One  very  young  lad  who  had 
lost  both  legs  was  taking  his  turn  in  the  game  from 
the  point  of  vantage  of  a  wheeled  chair.  I  started 
to  talk  with  him,  but  he  saw  at  once  that  sympathy 
was  uppermost  in  my  mind.  "Oh,"  said  he,  trying 
to  help  me  out,  "I'm  not  so  badly  off.  My  pal's  the 
one  to  be  pitied.     He  lost  both  his  eyes!" 

Anything  rather  than  that,  is  the  feeling  of  the 
fighting  man.  Nothing  is  more  heartrending  than  the 
sight  of  the  wounded  in  the  hospitals,  with  eyes  band- 
aged, their  fate  not  yet  known  to  themselves.  Here 
you  see  men  with  one  eye  gone  and  the  other  much 
injured,  —  clinging  to  the  belief  that  the  remaining 
one  is  or  will  be  quite  sound,  —  and  the  nurse  has  not 
the  heart  to  undeceive  them. 

The  old  idea  that  responsibility  ended  with  the 
return  of  the  soldier  to  private  life  has  given  place  to 
a  new  sense  of  duty  on  the  part  of  the  Government. 
It  is  felt  that  it  is  not  enough  to  heal  the  soldier's 
wounds  and  give  him  a  pension,  but  he  must  be  re- 
educated and  equipped  for  his  return  to  civil  life  so 
that  he  may  be  as  useful  as  possible  to  himself  and  to 
his  country. 

With  this  end  in  view,  Italy,  England  and  France 
have  already  introduced  into  their  convalescent  hos- 
pitals practical  instruction  for  wounded  soldiers. 
Actual  manual  work  is  being  utilized  not  only  for  its 
good  effect  upon  both  mind  and  body,  but  for  its  real 
vocational  and  commercial  value  to  the  soldier  upon 
his  return  to  civil  life.     Courses  in  light  metal  work, 


202      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

mechanical  drawing,  woodwork,  clay  modeling,  auto- 
mobile and  internal  combustion  engine  work,  shoe 
repairing,  gardening,  poultry-keeping,  bee-keeping 
and  floriculture  are  being  offered  to  the  wounded 
soldier  just  as  soon  as  he  is  able  to  undertake  physical 
and  mental  exertion.  The  result  is  that  already,  in 
many  instances,  though  handicapped  by  loss  of  limb 
and  even  sight,  the  re-educated  soldier  has  been  able 
to  take  a  position  often  more  remunerative  than  the 
one  he  held  before  enlistment. 

The  task  of  providing  books  for  the  blinded  soldiers 
is  one  that  requires  no  small  amount  of  thought  and 
care.  It  must  be  remembered  in  the  first  place  that 
these  men  are  beginners  in  reading  with  the  fingers, 
and  that  it  is  necessary  to  supply  them  with  books 
where  fully  contracted  Braille  is  employed.  This 
means  that  they  have  to  master  many  abbreviations. 
Handbooks  also  have  to  be  prepared  to  aid  them  in 
the  various  occupations  it  is  essential  for  them  to 
learn,  so  that  they  may  be  fully  equipped  later  on  to 
take  their  place  in  the  world  of  workers. 

As  the  men  are  taught  highly  specialized  occupa- 
tions, there  is  always  a  demand  for  books  of  a  technical 
nature.  It  is  necessary  for  them  to  have  instruction 
books  on  massage,  anatomy  and  physiology,  poultry- 
culture,  rabbit-keeping,  netting  and  other  industries 
which  have  been  found  suitable.  A  soldier  also  wants 
to  keep  up  to  date  as  regards  war  news,  to  be  able  to 
read  for  himself  topical  books  on  the  war.  There  is  a 
weekly  newspaper  published  by  the  National  Institute 
for  the  Blind,  "The  Braille  Weekly  Edition  of  the 
Daily  Mail,"  which  consists  of  sixteen  pages  of  the 
week's  news  and  is  sold  for  a  penny. 

It  is  surprising  to  note  the  rapidity  with  which  the 


BOOKS    FOR    BLINDED    SOLDIERS  2o3 

soldiers  learn  to  read  and  write  in  Braille.  This  is  no 
doubt  due  to  the  fact  that  each  pupil  is  given  an 
individual  teacher.  Many  of  the  men  have  been 
used  to  an  active,  open-air  life  and  their  fingers  have 
become  calloused  by  work,  so  that  they  have  to  acquire 
the  necessary  sensitiveness  of  touch  to  enable  them  to 
pass  their  fingers  over  the  embossed  dots  of  a  Braille 
page  and  substitute  their  fingers  for  their  eyes.  Yet 
many  of  them  become  comparatively  proficient  readers 
in  six  months  time.  After  that  it  is  a  matter  of  con- 
tinued practice  for  them  to  become  more  and  more 
expert.  Many  of  the  men  who  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  life  would  read  but  little  good  literature  are  now, 
because  of  the  handicap  of  their  blindness,  beginning 
to  read  some  of  the  best  authors.  As  a  compensation 
for  their  loss  of  sight  they  are  being  introduced  to  the 
joys  of  good  reading  and  are  being  re-educated  along 
new  lines. 

Two  institutions  in  particular  have  become  quite 
famous  for  this  work  of  re-education,  —  St.  Dunstan's 
in  London  and  Le  Phare  de  France  in  Paris. 

THE    WORK    IN    ENGLAND    AND    FRANCE 

St.  Dunstan's  hostel  for  blinded  sailors  and  soldiers 
has  become,  under  Sir  Arthur  Pearson's  genius  for 
organization,  a  model  of  practical  work  for  the  blind. 
Part  of  the  success  of  his  organization  of  the  work, 
which  has  increased  with  his  own  loss  of  sight,  has 
been  due  to  the  excellently  maintained  system  of 
communication  between  the  military  and  medical 
authorities.  Before  the  blinded  soldier  has  even  left 
the  military  hospital  some  little  task  is  given  him  to 
occupy  his  mind  and  encourage  him  in  his  effort  to 
acquire  a  new  form  of  usefulness.    From  the  military 


2o4      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

hospital  he  goes  to  St.  Dunstan,  where  everything  that 
ingenuity  can  suggest  and  generosity  provide  is  done 
to  lift  him  from  mental  despondency  over  his  loss. 
The  hostel  has  been  called  the  "Happiest  House  in 
London."  The  aim  is  to  stimulate  individual  initiative 
and  develop  the  imagination.  In  the  class  rooms  he  is 
taught  Braille  reading  and  typewriting.  Every  man 
is  given  a  typewriter  for  his  own  use  as  soon  as  he  has 
passed  the  writing  test.  He  stays  until  he  is  proficient 
in  some  line  and  is  then  assisted  in  various  ways  to 
make  his  entry  into  the  new  life.  On  leaving  the 
men  are  well  supplied  with  Braille  books.  The  Na- 
tional Library  for  the  Blind  lends  books  free  to  all 
British  soldiers  blinded  in  the  war,  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation being  met  by  the  National  Institute  for  the 
Blind. 

In  France,  the  same  work  is  being  done  by  Le  Phare 
de  France,  Paris,  and  Le  Phare  de  Bordeaux.  Le 
Phare  de  France,  literally  "the  lighthouse  of  France," 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
and  the  Ministry  of  War,  claims  the  distinction  of  being 
the  only  college  for  the  re-education  of  the  blinded 
soldier.  It  was  opened  in  March,  191 6,  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  French  Republic  and  the  American 
Ambassador. 

Miss  Winifred  Holt,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Holt,  the 
New  York  publisher,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
"lighthouse."  She  has  practical  schemes  for  arousing 
the  interest  of  the  blind.  A  visitor  noticed  a  small 
bronze  elephant  near  the  edge  of  her  desk.  "He  is 
one  of  my  best  friends,"  she  said.  "When  I  have  a 
blind  soldier  brought  in  to  me  for  the  first  time  he  sits 
hopelessly  in  that  chair,  and  it  is  my  business  to  get 
hold  of  him.     Presently,  after  the  manner  of  the  blind, 


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BOOKS    FOR    BLINDED     SOLDIERS  205 

his  hands  vaguely  grope  as  he  talks  and  soon  fall  on 
the  elephant,  and  I  say,  'What  are  you  touching?' 
In  a  moment  he  has  run  his  hand  along  the  animal 
and  says,  'An  elephant.'  Then  I  can  show  him  that 
he  need  not  despair  since  he  can  see  with  his  hands." 

Although  the  aim  of  Le  Phare  de  France  is  the 
higher  education  of  the  blinded  soldier,  its  doors  are 
open  to  all  classes  from  the  officer  of  high  rank  to  the 
humble  poilu,  the  only  passport  required  being  blind- 
ness and  potential  intelligence.  Of  the  subjects 
taught,  typewriting  and  stenography  are  the  most 
popular  as  well  as  the  most  necessary,  for  it  is  through 
these  two  branches  primarily  that  the  blind  soldier  is 
able  to  be  reunited  with  the  seeing  world.  The  special 
commercial  courses  as  well  as  the  arts  and  crafts  are 
also  popular,  while  weaving,  the  operation  of  knitting 
machines,  printing  presses,  modeling  and  the  making 
of  pottery  likewise  come  in  for  their  share  of  popular 
attention.  A  wounded  patient  from  Verdun,  his 
right  arm  as  well  as  his  sight  gone,  on  being  introduced 
to  an  American  checker-board  adapted  for  the  blind 
and  finding  that  he  could  still  beat  his  kindly  visitor 
with  all  her  faculties  intact,  was  so  pleased  and  en- 
couraged that  he  took  a  new  interest  in  life  and  from 
checkers  went  on  to  learn  Braille  and  other  simple 
things  until  he  was  able  to  leave  the  military  hospital 
and  take  up  in  earnest  the  study  of  some  line  of  useful 
work. 

A  strong  Zouave  came  back  carried  like  a  child,  with 
no  eyes,  no  legs,  and  only  one  arm.  However,  he 
laughed  aloud  when  he  found  that  he  could  not  only 
learn  to  read  but  that  one  arm  would  also  do  things 
quite  useful  and  of  commercial  value. 

The  Valentin  Haiiy  Association  gives  the  blinded 


206      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

soldiers  certain  useful  instruction.  It  has  organized 
a  commercial  course  and  gives  instruction  in  reading 
and  writing  Braille,  in  writing  with  a  pen  and  with  a 
"guide."  It  prints  in  Braille  easily  read  books  of  an 
attractive  kind,  like  the  works  of  Francois  Coppee, 
Alphonse  Daudet,  and  Alexandre  Dumas.  Its  library 
is  open  to  them,  and  twice  a  day  readings  are  given  for 
their  benefit,  —  the  morning  one  being  devoted  to  the 
newspapers.  The  Association  aims  at  a  sort  of  family 
life.  The  idea  underlying  all  its  work  is  that  a  blind 
person  can  and  must  reconstruct  his  life.  A  Braille 
journal,  La  Lumiere,  is  published  for  the  men  blinded 
in  battle.    A  blind  man  is  on  the  editorial  staff. 

"A  Beacon  for  the  Blind,"  the  life  of  Henry  Fawcett, 
the  blind  Postmaster  General  of  England,  by  Miss 
Winifred  Holt,  with  a  preface  by  Lord  Bryce,  has  been 
put  into  English  Braille  by  the  National  Institute  for 
the  Blind,  and  is  now  being  read  by  the  British  soldiers 
blinded  in  battle.  A  French  translation  by  the 
Marquis  de  Vogue  has  been  put  into  French  Braille 
by  the  National  Institute  for  the  Blind,  —  a  gift 
from  the  British  to  their  blinded  allies. 

Miss  Alice  Getty,  an  American,  is  doing  in  Paris  a 
novel  work  for  the  blinded  soldiers.  It  originated  in 
the  fall  of  19 1 5  when  she  was  asked  by  two  blinded 
French  officers  if  she  would  not  give  them  some  lessons 
in  English  so  that  they  could  converse  with  their 
English-speaking  blinded  comrades.  Miss  Getty  tried 
to  find  an  English  grammar  written  in  Braille,  but 
learned  that  the  only  ones  in  Paris  were  at  the  Valentin 
Haiiy  Association  and  could  not  be  loaned.  There- 
upon Miss  Getty  decided  to  make  up  her  own  Braille 
grammar.  While  doing  this,  she  became  impressed 
with  the  urgent  need  for  literature  for  the  blind.    She 


BOOKS    FOR    BLINDED    SOLDIERS         207 

purchased  a  machine  for  printing  in  Braille  and  trans- 
formed a  vacant  apartment  into  a  printing  shop  called 
"The  Wheel"  (the  eastern  symbol  of  wisdom). 

When  a  request  for  a  French-Spanish  grammar 
reached  her,  and  no  such  book  could  be  found,  Miss 
Getty  made  up  one  with  the  aid  of  a  person  who  knew 
the  Spanish  Braille  alphabet.  Next  came  a  request 
for  instruction  books  in  massage,  —  a  calling  in  which 
blinded  soldiers  have  become  particularly  adept. 
Miss  Getty  then  began  to  issue  books  which  would 
help  to  keep  blind  men  in  touch  with  modern  thought 
and  the  literature  of  today.  Copies  of  each  work  were 
sent  to  six  Braille  libraries  in  the  provinces.  Before 
long  ninety-seven  blinded  soldiers  were  drawing  in- 
dividually on  the  collection  which  Miss  Getty  had 
established. 

When  the  printing  office  and  library  developed  to  a 
point  where  they  were  too  large  for  Miss  Getty  to 
handle  personally,  they  were  taken  over  by  the 
American-British-French-Belgian  Permanent  Blind 
Relief  War  Fund.  This  Fund  supplies  books  to  the 
various  institutions  in  the  different  countries  as  well 
as  any  individual  blinded  soldier  with  whom  the 
officials  may  get  in  touch. 

The  English  grammar  with  which  Miss  Getty 
began  is  now  in  its  third  edition,  as  is  also  its  com- 
panion volume,  "English  Words  Grouped  According 
to  Sound."  Two  editions  of  the  Spanish  grammar 
by  Sauer-Serrano  have  been  issued,  followed  by  a 
better  one  by  Hernandez.  The  record  for  the  last 
three  months  of  191 7  was  875  volumes  printed  and 
bound  in  cardboard.  A  recent  report  states  that  a 
total  of  3765  volumes  have  been  turned  out.  Two 
or  three  books  are  sent  each  month  to  every  person 


208      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

on  the  "Wheel's"  mailing  list.     Some  of  these  works 
are  being  illustrated  by  a  special  process. 

Miss  Getty's  plant  and  library,  supported  largely 
by  donations  from  the  United  States,  are  now  located 
at  the  headquarters  of  the  Fund,  75  Avenue  des 
Champs  Elysees,  Paris. 

U.    S.    GOVERNMENT    PLANS 

The  United  States  Government  has  plans  for  the 
rehabilitation  of  the  blind  which  incorporate  not  only 
the  good  features  of  the  English  and  French  institu- 
tions, but  provide  for  the  care  of  the  men  in  France 
before  embarkation.  It  looks  after  their  training  on 
board  ship  en  route  to  this  country,  provides  a  com- 
plete course  of  instruction  in  a  hospital  school  after 
their  return,  and  secures  suitable  positions  for  them 
when  they  are  ready  to  re-enter  civil  life. 

For  this  work  Mrs.  T.  Harrison  Garrett  has  given 
her  residence,  with  its  ninety-acre  estate,  at  Roland 
Park,  near  Baltimore.  The  house  has  been  fitted 
up  as  a  complete  hospital  school  for  the  blind,  with 
class  rooms,  auditoriums,  shops,  swimming  pools  and 
gymnasiums.  It  is  planned  to  train  the  blind  soldier 
to  live  as  a  blind  man,  to  give  him  faith  in  himself,  to 
teach  him  the  mental  and  physical  value  of  steady 
employment,  to  find  light  through  work.  It  will  give 
him  the  essentials  of  various  occupations.  The  com- 
mittee in  charge  of  this  work  says  in  its  report  that 
blind  men  ought  to  be  distributed  among  the  patients 
for  the  purpose  of  broadening  their  interests  and  of 
securing  the  assistance  of  comrades,  and  avoid  separat- 
ing them  in  a  "blind  ward."  The  course  of  study 
will  include  reading  and  writing  Braille;  the  use  of  the 
typewriter;    transcribing   from   the   dictaphone,    and 


©  Kadel  'd  Herbert.  New  York 

75.   LIGHT  OUT  OF   DARKNESS 

Upper:   Making  an  embossed  map  of  the  seat  of  the  war 
Lower:   Braille  sheet  with  diagram  showing  the  range  of  projectiles 


©  Kadel  &  Herbert.  New  York 

76.   PRINTING   THE   WAR   NEWS   FOR   BLIND   SOLDIERS 
Some  of  the  women  operatives  are  blind 


BOOKS    FOR    BLINDED    SOLDIERS         209 

telephone  switch-board  operating;  and  such  manual 
occupations  as  weaving,  woodworking,  cement  work, 
and  netting,  and  various  branches  of  gymnastics  and 
athletics.  It  is  estimated  that  from  three  months  to 
one  year  will  be  required  for  the  entire  course. 

So  interested  has  Eugene  Brieux,  the  French  play- 
wright, become  in  the  re-education  of  the  blinded 
soldiers  that  he  has  addressed  to  them  a  series  of  four 
letters  written  in  a  style  whose  charm  springs  from 
its  simplicity,  sincerity  and  freedom  from  senti- 
mentality. They  have  been  copied  in  Braille  so  that 
every  blind  soldier  can  read  them  for  himself.  Though 
intended  primarily  for  agricultural  laborers  and  me- 
chanics they  contain  information,  advice  and  encourage- 
ment for  all  men  who  are  trying  to  adjust  themselves 
to  "a  new  life  wherein  their  eyes  are  in  their  finger 
tips."  The  first  is  a  note  of  cheer  to  take  up  life  anew, 
with  serenity  and  courage,  as  well  as  happiness,  for 
"when  one  knows  beforehand  that  in  playing  a  game 
one  is  bound  to  win,  there  is  no  need  to  hesitate,  but 
play  the  hand."  In  the  other  letters  he  urges  the 
learning  of  a  handicraft,  discusses  the  choice  of  a 
craft,  and  strongly  advises  the  learning  of  Braille  not 
merely  for  the  pastime  and  instruction  but  also  for 
the  sake  of  correspondence  and  the  keeping  of  accounts. 
Brieux  firmly  believes  that  there  are 

"  New  lamps  for  old  —  behind  those  vacant  eyeballs 
There  lies  a  brain  that  has  a  thousand  eyes 
That  can  be  taught  to  see  the  hidden  world 
That  in  an  unseen  world  most  truly  lies." 


2IO      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 
7.     SINGING  SOLDIERS 

Major-general  Bell  firmly  maintains  that  "A  sing- 
ing man  is  a  fighting  man."  He  believes  with  Major- 
general  Greble  that  "It  is  better  on  a  long  hike  to 
have  the  men  singing  than  to  rely  upon  a  band  to  help 
sore  feet  and  a  heavy  pack,"  and  he  was  therefore  look- 
ing for  /i4,ooo  song  books  and  instruments  with  which 
to  teach  the  soldiers  in  the  Department  of  the  East 
to  sing. 

That  singing  soldiers  can  not  only  march  further 
but  fight  better  needs  little  proof.  Since  the  days  of 
Cromwell's  famous  "psalm-singing  Ironsides,"  the 
communicative  inspiration  of  vocal  music  as  men 
march  has  been  understood  and  appreciated.  Arthur 
O'Shaughnessy  puts  it: 

Three  men  with  a  new  song's  measure 
Can  trample  an  empire  down. 

The  Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities 
has  appointed  song  leaders  in  the  various  camps  and 
cantonments  with  a  view  to  developing  singing  in 
the  American  Army.  It  is  their  purpose  to  extend 
the  work  until  all  the  camps  in  the  United  States  are 
supplied.  Colonel  Cooper,  Chief  of  Staff  at  Camp 
Dodge,  recently  remarked,  "It  is  monotony  that 
kills  men  off.  A  man  gets  tired  of  drill,  tired  of  doing 
the  same  things  in  barracks,  tired  even  of  getting 
shot  at.  We  need  company  leaders  to  teach  the  men 
new  songs;  we  need  instructors  who  can  show  the  men 
how  to  get  up  their  own  minstrel  shows  and  dramatic 
entertainments."  Realizing  that  everything  that  can 
be  devised  in  the  way  of  wholesome  amusement  toward 
breaking  up  monotony  is  of  direct  help  in  making 


SINGING    SOLDIERS  211 

better  soldiers,  Congress  not  only  approved  appro- 
priations for  the  work,  but  Commanding  Officers  were 
reported  as  being  uniformly  enthusiastic  over  the 
idea  of  sending  a  singing  army  to  France. 

One  of  the  many  things  emphasized  by  the  war  is 
that  music  —  from  the  whistling  of  a  lively  tune  to 
dispel  the  blues,  to  the  soothing  lullaby  that  quiets 
all  fears  —  is  not  the  luxury  it  has  sometimes  been 
considered,  but  is  in  reality  an  essential  part  of  daily 
human  life.  "It  has  been  many  years,"  says  Mr. 
Allen  Downes,  "since  men  have  become  aware  of  the 
value  of  song,  of  the  absolute  need  of  it,  as  they  are 
now."  In  moments  of  monotony,  stress,  grief  or  hope 
the  soldier's  thoughts  and  emotions  often  find  relieved 
expression  in  singing.  And  the  content  of  the  song  is 
of  little  moment;  the  encouragement  and  soothing 
calm  come  from  the  mere  fact  that  he  is  singing. 

"It  is  just  as  essential  that  soldiers  know  how  to 
sing  as  it  is  that  they  carry  rifles  and  know  how  to 
shoot,"  said  Major-general  Leonard  Wood,  in  a  recent 
talk  to  the  men  of  his  command  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas. 
"Singing  is  one  of  the  things  they  should  all  learn. 
It  sounds  odd  to  the  ordinary  person  when  you  tell 
him  that  every  soldier  should  be  a  singer,  because 
the  layman  cannot  reconcile  singing  with  killing.  But 
when  you  know  the  boys  as  I  know  them,  you  will 
realize  how  much  it  means  to  them  to  sing.  There 
isn't  anything  in  the  world,  even  letters  from  home, 
that  will  raise  a  soldier's  spirits  like  a  good  catchy, 
marching  tune.  When  a  man  has  been  tramping 
for  hours  in  the  hot  sun,  carrying  a  heavy  pack  on  his 
back,  or  when  he  is  toiling  along  in  the  mud  on  a  cold, 
rainy  day,  or  when  he  has  to  remain  in  the  barracks 
all  day  with  nothing  to  do,  singing  drives  away  the 


212      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

'dumps'  and  makes  him  sit  up  and  find  that  the  clouds 
have  a  cheerful  lining.  I  have  seen  men  toiling  for 
hours  through  the  mud  and  rain,  every  one  of  them 
dejected,  spiritless,  tired  and  cold,  wet  and  forlorn, 
cursing  the  day  they  entered  the  army,  transformed 
into  a  happy,  devil-may-care  frame  of  mind  through 
a  song.  Their  heads  pop  up  in  the  air,  their  eyes 
sparkle  and  the  spring  comes  back  to  their  step." 

To  give  a  few  concrete  illustrations  of  this:  "While 
I  waited,"  Mr.  Allen  Downes  writes  from  Camp 
Devens,  "there  came  what  I  thought  at  first  to  be  the 
sound  of  distant  fifes,  but  in  a  moment  a  company 
of  men  came  marching  snappily  over  the  hill,  and  I 
saw  that  they  were  whistling  every  bit  as  snappily 
as  they  were  marching,  some  kind  of  a  fighting  tune. 
.  .  .  Another  company  came  by  in  a  moment,  sing- 
ing. The  tune  was  'Tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  tramp, 
the  boys  are  marching.'  The  text  was  original. 
Many  of  the  texts  and  also  the  tunes  are  original  at 
Camp  Devens,  which  is  one  of  the  surest  and  best 
signs  of  the  real  place  that  music  is  taking  in  the 
daily  fife  of  the  men.  The  whistling  was  glorious. 
It  added  the  last  note  to  a  scene  of  fife  and  bustle  of 
a  sort  not  to  be  observed  in  peace  times." 

"Between  five  and  six  thousand  men  participated 
in  the  most  inspiring  evening  I  have  ever  enjoyed," 
wrote  an  officer  from  Syracuse.  "When  everybody 
sang  'The  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic'  and  Harry 
Barnhart  got  the  soldiers  emphasizing  'Glory!  Glory! 
Hallelujah!  His  Truth  is  Marching  on!'  you  should 
have  seen  the  faces  glowing  under  the  fights.  The 
camp  became  inspired.  The  men  cheered  and  cheered. 
Then  the  Southern  boys  called  for  'Carry  me  back  to 
Old  Virginny'  and  'My  Old  Kentucky  Home.'    The 


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SINGING    SOLDIERS  2l3 

harmony  was  wonderful.  Automobiles  way  out  on 
the  road  tooted  their  horns,  and  it  was  ten  minutes 
before  the  enthusiasm  subsided.  We  sang  from 
eight  o'clock  until  ten  o'clock,  and  ended  with  the 
'Star  Spangled  Banner.'  I  have  never  heard  this 
song  SUNG  before.  The  Commanding  Officer  came 
forward  after  the  singing  and  said  it  was  the  greatest 
thing  he  had  ever  listened  to."  Music  certainly 
deserves  its  place  as  a  universal  language  since  almost 
without  exception  every  one  once  interested  loves 
to  sing. 

"Nor  is  it  at  all  the  ragtime  songs  that  interest  the 
men  the  most,  for  the  old  songs:  'Old  Folks  at  Home,' 
'Massa's  in  the  Cold,  Cold  Ground,'  'Annie  Laurie,' 
'The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me,'  still  compete  with  the 
songs  the  men  are  inventing  all  the  time.  These 
latter  are  enjoyed  as  diversions,  but  the  songs  that 
are  turned  to  again  and  again  are  the  work  of  those 
who  have  been  able  to  translate  into  music  the  yearn- 
ings, hopes  and  aspirations  of  the  human  heart"  — 
for  in  all  ages  it  has  been  these  songs  that  have  quick- 
ened endurance  and  valor  and  unified  the  mass  spirit 
of  men  to  the  highest  degree,  making  music  what  it 
has  always  been,  but  seldom  realized,  one  of  the  vital 
forces  of  a  nation. 

"  It  is  like  going  without  food  to  be  for  eight  months 
without  music,"  came  back  word  from  the  general 
headquarters  in  France,  while  a  boy  home  for  a  serious 
wound  is  said  to  have  remarked  after  attending  a 
concert,  that  the  concert  "had  bucked  him  up  for  the 
rest  of  the  war." 

Another  incident  is  related  of  the  present  cam- 
paign in  France  —  where  the  indomitable  spirit  of 
one  English  officer  saved  hundreds  of  exhausted  men 


2l4      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

from  capture  simply  by  means  of  a  toy  drum  which  he 
bought  and  played  himself,  and  a  penny  whistle  played 
in  turn  by  two  dragoons  until  the  men  were  marched 
ten  miles  into  safety. 

In  her  Paris  letter  to  Musical  America,  Leonore 
Raines  comments  upon  the  attitude  of  the  American 
soldiers  toward  music  as  observed  by  their  attendance 
at  the  Paris  concerts.  "The  American  soldier  shows 
good  discrimination  in  his  choice  of  music,"  she  writes. 
"Nothing  put  before  him  passes  unappreciated.  The 
men,  generally  in  the  early  twenties,  are  by  no  means 
childish  in  their  choice  of  songs,  preferring  usually 
music  that  is  neither  too  light  nor  too  heavy." 

In  order  to  aid  the  Commission  on  Training  Camp 
Activities  still  further  in  its  work  of  making  Sammy 
a  singing  soldier,  a  National  Committee  on  Army 
and  Navy  Camp  Music  has  been  created.  One  of 
the  Committee's  tasks  has  been  the  compilation  of 
a  new  Army  and  Navy  song  book  published  by  the 
Government  under  the  title  of  "Songs  of  the  Soldiers 
and  Sailors."  The  book  is  made  up  of  songs  that  have 
proved  popular  in  the  camps;  songs  like  the  marching 
and  hiking  songs  of  the  British  soldiers,  —  songs  that 
have  a  sectional  appeal  and  the  National  Songs  of 
the  Allies.  On  the  verso  of  the  title-page  is  Walt 
Whitman's  ringing  line:  "  I  see  America  go  singing 
to  her  Destiny." 

Perhaps  America  may  be  destined  after  all  to  supply 
musical  as  well  as  material  sinews  of  war  to  the  Allied 
cause,  for  "Tipperary"  was  the  creation  of  a  New 
York  Jew,  though  written  in  England.  And  now 
from  Italy,  the  traditional  land  of  song,  comes  word 
that  a  translation  of  Henry  T.  Burleigh's  "The 
Young  Warrior"  is  one  of  the  Italian  soldiers'  most 


SINGING    SOLDIERS  2l5 

popular  songs.  In  the  face  of  this  glowing  prospect  Mr. 
Arthur  Farwell,  president  of  the  National  Association 
for  Community  Music,  has  the  temerity  to  remark  in 
a  letter  to  Major-General  Bell,  that  it  is  his  belief 
that  not  twenty-five  men  in  a  thousand  can  repeat 
two  stanzas  of  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner." 

Mr.  Farwell  visited  the  officers'  training  camp  at 
Plattsburg  early  last  summer  and  at  several  of  the 
mass-meetings  tested  the  men  on  this  point  —  with 
sad  results.  He  believes,  however,  that  a  good  song- 
leader,  with  printed  words  in  the  hands  of  every  man, 
satisfactory  lighting,  a  band  under  the  direction  of 
the  song-leader,  music  for  the  band  in  the  proper 
key  for  men's  voices,  coupled  with  the  right  music, 
and  a  little  periodic  exercise  in  singing  under  these 
conditions,  might  work  reform.  "For  it  must  be 
held  in  mind,"  he  adds,  "that  it  is  a  wide-spread 
fallacy  to  think  that  all  a  crowd  of  people  have  to  do 
to  sing  is  to  get  up  and  sing,  because  every  experienced 
song-leader  knows  that  it  cannot  be  done  so  easily." 

Despite  Mr.  Farwell's  rather  discouraged  attitude 
toward  the  American  soldier's  lack  of  the  "sense  of 
get-together  in  singing,"  much  has  already  been 
accomplished  in  the  work  of  teaching  "Sammy" 
the  "songs  that  will  cheer  and  inspire  him  when  he 
gets  to  the  places  where  the  regimental  bands  cannot 
follow."  Men  like  Harry  Barnhart,  Robert  Lloyd, 
Kenneth  Clarke,  Geoffrey  O'Hara  and  Vernon  Stiles 
have  come  forward  to  help  "inspire  tired  footsore 
men  to  sing  for  the  sheer  love  of  it"  without  any  of 
the  accessories  usually  considered  essential.  Geoffrey 
O'Hara,  the  young  American  composer,  who  has 
accomplished  such  marvels  in  the  huge  mobilization 
camp  at  Fort  Oglethorpe,   Georgia,  started  without 


216      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

lights  and  without  music,  a  pile  of  lumber  serving 
as  a  platform,  until  the  carpenters  took  even  that 
away.  Kenneth  Clarke,  the  composer  of  well-known 
Princeton  University  songs,  at  a  loss  to  provide  the 
words  of  the  songs  most  wanted,  pressed  the  news- 
papers into  service  by  having  them  print  song  sheets 
containing  the  words  of  the  songs  most  popular. 
Robert  Lloyd,  in  charge  of  the  singing  at  the  Officers' 
Training  Camp  at  Fort  Niagara,  finding  that  almost 
fifty  per  cent  of  the  failures  to  secure  commissions  the 
previous  summer  were  due  to  inability  to  give  com- 
mands distinctly,  is  now  giving,  with  his  singing,  in- 
struction in  voice  training.  The  success  of  these 
instructions  may  be  demonstrated  in  the  case  of  a 
soldier  handicapped  by  a  habit  of  stuttering  but  other- 
wise physically  perfect.  Locating  the  trouble,  Mr. 
Lloyd  gave  him  a  few  simple  suggestions  in  the  use 
of  standard  tone  which  were  so  quickly  and  effectually 
put  into  practice  that  even  efforts  to  make  him  stutter 
failed  completely. 

Vernon  Stiles,  the  Rough  Rider  concert  soloist,  be- 
lieving that  the  spontaneous  impulse  to  song  is  to  be 
found  in  all  armies,  set  to  work  upon  the  boys  of  Camp 
Devens.  It  is  no  small  undertaking  to  make  a  camp 
of  thousands  of  soldiers  express  themselves  in  song 
spontaneously  as  well  as  artistically.  But  Mr.  Stiles, 
who  is  first  of  all  a  good  fellow  with  a  real  regard  for 
his  companions,  as  well  as  an  experienced  singer  with 
practical  ideas  in  organization  that  are  both  direct 
and  elastic,  makes  every  minute  count  for  work.  His 
first  admonition  to  the  men  who  had  gathered  in  a 
state  of  partial  amusement,  earnestness  and  curiosity, 
is  said  to  have  had  the  effect  of  popping  from  his 
mouth  like  the  report  of  a  gun:  "Show  your  teeth  and 


SINGING    SOLDIERS  217 

smile!"  He  also  makes  the  men  speak  the  words 
before  they  sing  them,  so  that  when  they  sing  they  will 
not  only  open  their  mouths  and  lungs  but  make  both 
the  words  and  the  tune  tell.  Above  all,  he  insists 
that  they  be  awake,  alert  and  high-spirited,  showing 
by  the  expresson  of  their  faces  that  they  not  only  know 
what  they  are  singing  about  and  understand  the  words, 
but  that  the  singing  is  the  only  thing  on  their  minds 
and  is  being  done  with  their  whole  soul.  Already 
it  is  said  that  more  than  a  million  men  in  training 
are  doing  company  hikes  to  the  blood-stirring  strains 
of  "Smile,  Smile,  Smile,"  or  "I  don't  care  where  they 
send  me."  They  are  also  learning  that  an  evening 
in  camp  may  be  quite  a  jolly  affair  when  they  can 
join  in  "The  long,  long  trail,"  or  "Keep  the  home 
fires  burning,"  or  "Over  there,"  especially  if  under 
the  leadership  of  someone  who,  with  the  spirit  of  good 
fellowship,  knows  how  to  put  "pep"  into  tired  home- 
sick men. 

Oh,  it's  not  the  pack  that  you  carry  on  your  back, 
Nor  the  Springfield  on  your  shoulder, 
Nor  the  five-inch  crust  of  khaki  colored  dust, 
That  makes  you  think  you're  growing  older; 

And  it's  not  the  hike  on  the  broad  turnpike 

That  drives  away  your  smile, 

Nor  the  socks  of  sisters,  that  raise  the  blooming  blisters, 

It's  the  last,  long  mile. 

The  author  of  the  "First  Hundred  Thousand" 
describes  again  this  revivifying  power  of  good  fellow- 
ship and  singing  on  tired  footsore  men  after  viewing 
a  battalion  of  Tommies  swinging  down  the  road  loaded 
like  Christmas  trees  with  their  cumbrous  kits,  — 
sweating,  singing,  whistling  as  they  march  toward 
the  trenches. 


2l8      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

"A  husky  soloist  breaks  into  one  of  the  deathless 
ditties  of  the  New  Scottish  Laureate,"  he  says,  "his 
comrades  take  up  the  air  with  ready  response;  and 
presently  we  are  all  swinging  along  to  the  strains  of 
'I  Love  a  Lassie,'  'Roaming  in  the  Gloaming'  and 
'  It's  Just  Like  Being  at  Home.'  Then  presently  come 
snatches  of  a  humorously  armorous  nature  —  'Hallo, 
Hallo,  Who's  your  lady  friend?';  'You're  my  baby'; 
and  the  ungrammatical  'Who  were  you  with  last 
night?'  Another  great  favorite  is  an  involved  com- 
position which  always  appears  to  begin  in  the  middle. 
It  deals  severely  with  the  precocity  of  a  youthful 
lover  who  has  been  detected  wooing  his  lady  in  the 
Park.  Each  verse  ends  with  enormous  gusto  'Hold 
your  hand  oot,  you  naughty  boy!'" 

But  as  Ian  Hay  points  out  elsewhere,  the  inspiring 
effect  of  this  lusty  singing  does  not  always  come  to 
the  hearers,  for  the  Boche  over  the  way  is  inclined  to 
resent  Tommy's  efforts  at  harmony. 

Sing  us  a  song,  a  song  of  Bonnie  Scotland ! 

Any  old  song  will  do.  * 
By  the  old  camp-fire,  the  rough-and-ready  choir 

Join  in  the  chorus  too. 
"You'll  tak'  the  high  road  and  I'll  tak'  the  low  road"  — 

'Tis  a  song  that  we  all  know, 
To  bring  back  the  days  in  Bonnie  Scotland, 

Where  the  heather  and  the  bluebells  — 

"Whang!  The  Boche,  a  Wagnerian  by  birth  and 
upbringing,  cannot  stand  any  more  of  this,  so  he 
has  fired  a  rifle-grenade  at  the  glee-party  —  on  the 
whole  a  much  more  honest  and  direct  method  of 
condemnation  than  that  practiced  by  musical  critics 
in  time  of  peace.  But  he  only  elicits  an  encore. 
Private  Nigg  perches  a  steel  helmet  on  the  point  of 


SINGING    SOLDIERS  219 

a  bayonet,  and  patronizingly  bobs  the  same  up  and 
down  above  the  parapet." 

The  same  author  tells  of  a  man  of  mystery  in  the 
ranks  whose  nearest  approach  to  animation  comes  at 
church  when  he  sings  the  hymns  —  especially  "Oh, 
God,  our  help  in  ages  past!"  This  he  renders  as  if 
he  were  author  and  composer  combined.  A  "Tommy" 
sings  all  the  hymns  with  great  vigor,  particularly 
if  he  happens  to  know  them  and  to  like  the  tunes. 

This  love  and  need  of  music  on  the  part  of  the 
soldier  was  early  recognized  by  England  in  the  equip- 
ment of  the  Territorial  camps.  Pianos  for  the  mar- 
quees were  provided  and  a  penny  edition  of  "Camp 
songs"  was  sold  by  the  hundreds.  This  little  book 
contained  a  selection  of  patriotic,  humorous  and  sen- 
timental songs  that  have  always  been  favorites  with 
soldiers.  These  songs  also  proved  useful  in  promoting 
the  success  of  the  "sing-song,"  which  came  as  a  wel- 
come relief  after  a  hard  day  of  routine  camp  duties. 
The  "sing-song"  closed  generally  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore the  men  had  to  be  in  their  quarters  for  the  night, 
usually  ending  with  a  hymn  and  short  prayer,  followed 
by  the  National  Anthem.  These  "sing-songs"  as 
well  as  the  unconventional  religious  services,  where 
there  was  plenty  of  singing,  have  been  very  popular 
in  the  British  camps.  Preferences  for  Charles  Wes- 
ley's "Sun  of  my  Soul,"  Cardinal  Newman's  "Lead, 
Kindly  Light"  and  Dr.  Monsell's  "Fight  the  Good 
Fight"  were  generally  expressed.  Often  after  the 
Sunday  evening  service  had  closed  the  men  would 
stay  for  another  hour  and  sing  hymns. 

The  hymns  in  themselves  are  quite  popular  on  all 
occasions,  "Jerusalem  the  Golden"  being  a  prime 
favorite    while   waiting   for    breakfast.    When    some 


220      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

members  of  the  Oxford  and  Bucks  Light  Infantry 
were  in  the  Ypres  salient,  and  saw  their  first  shell 
explode,  some  one  said:  "Pass  the  word  down  to  Jimmy 
to  start  up  his  old  favorite  'When  the  roll  is  called 
up  yonder.'"  "Jimmy"  sang  three  verses,  and  the 
men  joined  in  the  chorus.  On  another  occasion 
"Jimmy"  started  to  sing  "Abide  with  me,"  a  number 
of  the  men  joining  in  though  they  did  not  know  the 
words.  Once  started,  however,  they  had  hymns 
until  the  order  came  to  sit  about  the  trench  and  cook 
their  supper. 

Lieutenant  Coningsby  Dawson  in  his  "Carry 
On,"  pictures  the  men  in  their  dugouts  sitting  at 
night  by  a  fire,  and  singing  almost  every  hymn  and 
tune  they  know.  They  manage  a  kind  of  glee,  with 
"Clementine,"  "Three  Blind  Mice,"  "Long,  Long 
Ago,"  "Silver  Threads  among  the  Gold,"  "In  the 
Gloaming,"  "Rock  of  Ages,"  "The  Star  of  Bethlehem," 
"I  Hear  you  Calling  Me,"  interspersed  with  "Every- 
body Works  but  Father,"  and  "Poor  Old  Adam." 
"Another  song,"  he  adds,  "we  sing  under  shell-fire 
as  a  kind  of  prayer.  We  sing  it  as  we  struggle  knee- 
deep  in  the  appalling  mud.  We  sing  it  as  we  sit 
by  a  candle  in  our  deep  captured  German  dugouts: 

There's  a  long,  long  trail  a-winding 
Into  the  land  of  my  dreams, 
Where  the  nightingales  are  singing 
And  a  white  moon  beams: 
There's  a  long,  long  night  of  waiting 
Until  my  dreams  all  come  true; 
Till  the  day  when  I'll  be  going  down 
That  long,  long  trail  with  you." 

"Almost  the  last  thing  you  find  anybody  singing, 
however,"  Lieutenant  Dawson  goes  on  to  say,  "is 
a  patriotic  song;  just  as  the  last  thing  you  find  any- 


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SINGING    SOLDIERS  221 

body  reading  is  Rupert  Brooke's  poems.  When  the 
men  sing  among  the  shell  holes  they  seem  to  prefer 
a  song  with  patriotic  flavor  which  burlesques  their 
own  heroism."  "Picture  to  yourself,"  Lieutenant 
Dawson  adds,  "a  company  of  mud-stained  men  in 
steel  helmets  plodding  their  way  under  intermittent 
shelling  through  a  battered  trench,  whistling  and 
hiimming  the  following  splendid  sentiments  of  'The 
Complaint  of  the  Conscientious  Objector': 

Send  us  the  army  and  the  navy.     Send  us  the  rank  and  file, 
Send  us  the  grand  old  territorials,  they'll  face  the  danger  with  a  smile. 
Where  are  the  boys  of  the  old  brigade  who  made  old  England  free? 
You  may  send  my  mother,  my  sister  and  my  brother, 
But  for  Gawd's  sake  don't  send  me. 

"It  is  perhaps  of  interest  to  state  that  the  last  line 
is  always  shouted.  I  am  tempted  at  this  point," 
he  continues,  "to  be  discursive  and  ask  how  it  is 
that  the  doggerel  poetry,  which  really  represents  our 
chaps,  has  never  got  out  of  the  mud  and  back  to 
civilization.  It's  all  a  mad  burlesque  of  the  splendid 
things  that  are  being  done  —  a  parody  of  the  fineness 
which  our  men  are  living."  Perhaps  it  is  because  the 
British  soldier  loves  sentiment  and  burlesque  and 
calls  the  real  heroics  "swank"  and  "putting  on  side." 
This  last  he  cannot  endure  for  he  is  too  earnest  and 
simple-hearted  for  self-glorification.  To  him  parody 
relieves  the  tension  and  song  serves  as  an  outlet  for 
pent-up  emotion.  As  Donald  Hankey  expresses  it: 
"We  sing  as  we  march.  Such  songs  we  sing!  All 
about  coons  and  girls,  parodies  of  hymns,  parodies 
about  Kaiser  Bill,  and  sheer  unadulterated  nonsense. 
We  shall  probably  sing, 

Wher's  yer  girl? 
Ain't  yer  got  none? 

as  we  march  into  battle." 


222      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND     ALLIED    STUDIES 

On  all  occasions,  in  fact,  no  matter  where  he  is, 
Tommy  is  a  singing  soldier.  He  even  sings  to  the 
village  patronne  when  ordering  his  meals,  as  Mr. 
Patrick  MacGill,  the  soldier-poet,  relates  in  his  "Sol- 
dier Songs." 

Voulez  vous  donnez  moi 

S'il  vous  plait 
Pain  et  beurre 

Et  cafe  au  lait. 

He  serenades  the  maiden  at  the  village  pump: 

Apres  la  guerre  fini 
Soldat  Anglais  partee 
M'selle  Frongsay  boko  pleury 
Apres  la  guerre  fini. 

In  English  his  favorite  idea  of  peace  is: 

When  the  war  is  over 

We're  going  to  live  in  Dover 

When  the  war  is  over  we're  going  to  have  a  spree, 

We're  going  to  have  a  fight 

In  the  middle  of  the  night 

With  the  whizz-bangs  a-flying  in  the  air. 

From  Le  Havre  and  the  Somme  came  back  these 
favorites: 

Sing  me  to  sleep  where  bullets  fall, 
Let  me  forget  the  war  and  all; 
Damp  is  my  dug-out,  cold  my  feet, 
Nothing  but  bully  and  biscuits  to  eat. 
Over  the  sandbags  helmets  you'll  find 
Corpses  in  front  and  corpses  behind. 

CHORUS 

Far,  far  from  Ypres  I  long  to  be, 
Where  German  snipers  can't  get  at  me, 
Think  of  me  crouching  where  the  worms  creep, 
Waiting  for  the  sergeant  to  sing  me  to  sleep. 


SINGING    SOLDIERS  223 

Most  of  the  verse  is  of  little  importance,  as  Mr. 
MacGill  points  out,  for  a  crowd  has  no  sense  of  poetic 
values.  Most  of  the  origins  even,  have  been  lost,  for 
in  these  spontaneous  choruses  that  voice  the  moods 
of  the  moment,  it  is  the  singing  alone  that  is  impor- 
tant; it  is  the  singing  that  gives  the  expression  to 
the  rhymed  lines,  while  the  surroundings  give  them 
their  point.  "Tipperary"  means  home  when  it  is 
sung  in  a  shell-shattered  billet,  but  on  a  long  march 
it  spells  Berlin,  the  goal  of  high  enterprise  and  great 
adventures. 

Often  the  wounded  are  located  on  the  battle-field 
by  their  singing.  Not  infrequently  they  sing  on  the 
stretchers  and  in  ambulances  and  time  after  time 
they  sing  in  the  hospitals.  The  greater  the  pain  the 
more  likely  are  they  to  sing  as  a  sort  of  diversion. 
It  helps  them  to  forget  the  pain,  they  say.  One  poor 
fellow  lay  crooning  a  little  song  to  his  horribly  wounded 
hand  as  if  to  lull  the  agony  it  gave  him.  Another 
strapping  fellow  said  that  when  the  shooting  pains 
began  in  his  frozen  trench-feet,  he  had  to  sing  to  keep 
from  cursing. 

"If  troubadours  sang  like  that,  I  am  not  surprised 
they  broke  many  hearts,"  wrote  Dorothy  Cator  who 
had  fallen  ill  while  nursing  in  a  French  military  hospital, 
as  the  notes  of  an  exquisite  voice  from  the  barracks 
opposite  floated  into  the  window  behind  her. 

Everywhere  you  turn  you  find  the  soldier  making 
use  of  this  power  of  rhythm  and  song  to  soothe  and 
to  encourage.  The  English  troops  march  up  to  battle 
singing.  They  cross  the  bags,  singing.  They  hold 
a  trench  under  the  fiercest  fire,  singing.  In  the  midst 
of  monotony,  drudgery,  suffering,  danger  and  death, 
the  soldier  finds  himself  singing  or  whistling  with  per- 


224      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

sistent  cheerfulness.  The  songs  run  the  whole  gamut 
from  the  sung  and  whistled  march  tunes  to  those 
queer,  whimsical,  ironical  grumbling  songs  that  after 
the  true  fashion  of  folk-poetry  exist  in  numerous 
versions  —  of  the  type  of  "I  Want  to  Go  Home"  — 
for  they  express  what  no  soldier  denies  even  while  he 
"fights  valiantly  on  —  his  utter  fed-upness!" 

When  this  ruddy  war  is  over 
Oh  how  happy  I  shall  be. 

The  songs  most  sung  are  the  national  songs,  the 
song  of  home,  and  the  songs  of  cheer  —  songs  like 
"The  Marseillaise,"  "John  Brown's  Body,"  "When 
Irish  Eyes  are  Smiling,"  "Come  Back  to  Erin,"  "Annie 
Laurie,"  "Keep  the  Home  Fires  Burning,"  "Tip- 
perary,"  "Take  Me  Back  to  Dear  Old  Blighty,"  "Put 
Me  on  the  Train  to  London  Town,"  "Back  Home  in 
Tennessee,"  "Old  Kentucky  Home,"  "There's  a  Long, 
Long  Trail  a-Winding,"  "Give  Me  Your  Smile,"  "If 
You  Were  the  Only  Girl  in  the  World,"  "Mother 
MacCree,"  "Pack  Up  Your  Troubles  in  Your  Own 
Kit  Bag  and  Smile,  Smile,  Smile,"  "Are  We  Down- 
hearted? No,"  "Tho'  Your  Heart  may  Ache  Awhile, 
Never  Mind." 

Edward  Eyre  Hunt,  the  author  of  "War  Bread," 
describes  the  singing  he  heard  in  the  symphony  hall 
at  Antwerp  which  has  been  turned  into  a  workshop. 
The  nine  hundred  girls  and  young  women  workers, 
he  writes,  are  encouraged  to  sing  at  their  work.  One 
afternoon  each  week  a  teacher  gives  them  lessons  in 
the  songs  of  their  country.  When  Mr.  Hunt  visited 
the  hall  a  great  organ  behind  the  piles  of  boxes  on  the 
stage  pealed  forth  a  sonorous  welcome,  and  the  seam- 
stresses sang  for  the  visitors  the  thrilling  "Lion  of 


SINGING    SOLDIERS  225 

Flanders,"  the  'Brabaconne,"  and  a  verse  of  the 
"Star  Spangled  Banner."  This  was  the  only  sing- 
ing in  public  in  Antwerp,  however,  for  Belgian  anthems 
are  under  the  German  ban,  and  war  songs  of  all  kinds 
are  especially  proscribed.  The  children  being  more 
or  less  privileged  characters,  nevertheless  chirrup 
about  as  they  please  and  occasionally  one  catches  a 
strange  reminiscent  echo  of  a  familiar  tune.  Once 
it  was  the  tune  of  "Tipperary,"  but  the  words  were 
quite  new.  At  last,  a  child  was  found  who  had  ap- 
parently learned  the  words  from  the  British  Tommies 
in  Antwerp  during  the  siege  and  wrote  them  down 
at  Mr.  Hunt's  request.  At  first  Mr.  Hunt  could 
make  nothing  of  them,  but  careful  study  and  enun- 
ciation a  la  flamande,  brought  out  the  famous  chorus 
beginning  "  It's  a  Long  Way  to  Tipperary : " 

'Ts  se  lom  wee  ti  parerie, 
'Ts  se  lom  wee  du  koo, 
'Ts  se  lom  wee  to  parries, 

Tot  to  zwede  de  reino 

Dubei  pikatilie,  waarie  leskwee. 
'Ts  se  lom  lom  wee  peti  pare, 

Het  myn  sklatel. 

After  all,  as  Mr.  MacGill  says,  it  matters  little  what 
songs  the  soldiers  sing  as  long  as  they  really  sing  — 
whether  it  be  the  songs  of  love  and  lust,  the  songs 
of  murder  and  great  adventure  or  "the  new  songs 
that  make  a  momentary  ripple  on  the  surface  and 
die  as  their  circle  extends  outwards,"  or  the  "old 
songs  that  float  on  the  ocean  of  time  like  corks  and 
find  a  cradle  on  every  wave,"  because  the  men  will 
not  leave  their  songs  behind  them  in  the  camps  or 
in  the  trenches.  They  will  bring  back  with  them 
the  airs  that  sustained  hope  and  courage  in  the  field, 


226      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

so  that,  when  the  millions  of  the  armies  who  have 
not  only  acquired  the  habit  of  singing,  but  what  is 
more,  of  composing  music  and  verse,  are  dispersed, 
there  will  be  the  beginning  of  a  task  the  need  of  which 
was  sorely  felt  and  recognized  before  the  war,  a  task 
promising  infinite  good  in  that,  a  long  step  will  have 
been  taken  toward  making  music  and  poetry  and  song 
a  permanent  and  pervading  influence  in  the  fives 
of  countless  people. 


IV 

BRITISH  CENSORSHIP  AND  ENEMY 
PUBLICATIONS 


IV.  BRITISH   CENSORSHIP  AND  ENEMY 
PUBLICATIONS 

IN  the  early  part  of  191 7,  while  examining  books 
detained  in  England,  an  exceptional  opportunity 
was  afforded  me  to  study  the  workings  of  the 
British  Censorship  as  it  affected  enemy  publications. 
I  came  to  feel  that  there  were  certain  facts  about 
the  censorship  that  should  be  known  by  American 
librarians.  I  therefore  sent  to  the  Librarian  of  Con- 
gress a  special  report  on  the  subject,  prefaced  with 
some  historical  facts  which  may  not  be  known  to 
American  librarians  and  research  workers.  If  Ameri- 
cans had  gained  earlier  knowledge  of  what  the  British 
censors  had  to  contend  with  and  of  the  service  these 
officials  have  rendered  the  Cause,  they  would  doubt- 
less have  accepted  with  better  grace  the  necessary 
interference  with  their  mail. 

OBJECT   OF   THE   CENSORSHIP 

Two  important  memoranda  were  issued  in  May, 
191 5,  as  Parliamentary  Papers  —  one  on  the  Censor- 
ship, the  other  on  the  Press  Bureau.  Together  they 
provide  the  official  justification  of  the  Censorship 
as  it  affects  both  the  individual  and  the  press.  In 
the  memorandum  on  the  Censorship,  this  new  branch 
of  the  government  is  described  as  one  of  several  in- 
stitutions designed  with  a  threefold  object:  To  pre- 
vent   information   of   military    value   from    reaching 

229 


23o      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

the  enemy;  to  acquire  similar  information  for  the 
British  government;  and  to  check  the  dissemination 
of  information  useful  to  the  enemy  or  prejudicial 
to  the  Allies.  When  the  transmission  of  correspond- 
ence and  the  publication  of  news  are  consistent 
with  the  attainment  of  these  objects  there  is  little 
or  no  interference.  Every  endeavor  is  made  to  safe- 
guard the  legitimate  interests,  private  and  commer- 
cial, of  British  subjects  and  neutrals. 

In  the  course  of  the  present  war  it  has  become 
apparent  that  in  the  Censorship  there  lies  ready  to 
hand  a  weapon,  the  full  value  of  which  was  perhaps 
not  anticipated  prior  to  the  war.  It  can  be  used  to 
restrict  commercial  and  financial  transactions  intended 
for  the  benefit  of  enemy  governments  or  persons 
residing  in  enemy  countries. 

The  memorandum  discusses  the  Censorship  as  it 
affects  (i)  private  and  commercial  communications; 
and  (2)  the  press.  It  states  that  the  censorship  of 
private  and  commercial  communications  is  under  the 
direction  of  a  general  officer  who  is  responsible  to  the 
Army  Council.  The  Censorship  is  organized  in  two 
sections:  (1)  the  Cable  Censorship  under  the  control 
of  the  Chief  Cable  Censor,  who  is  a  senior  officer  of 
the  general  staff  at  the  War  Office,  and  (2)  the  Postal 
Censorship,  controlled  by  the  Chief  Postal  Censor. 
In  addition  to  some  120  cables  and  wireless  stations 
in  various  parts  of  the  Empire,  the  Chief  Cable  Censor 
controls  in  the  United  Kingdom  messages  sent  over 
the  cables  of  the  private  cable  companies.  Every  24 
hours  from  3o,ooo  to  5o,ooo  telegrams  pass  through 
the  hands  of  the  censors  in  the  United  Kingdom. 
Exclusive  of  those  in  the  official  Press  Bureau,  about 
180  censors  are  employed  in  the  United  Kingdom  in 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  23l 

the  censorship  of  cables;  elsewhere  in  the  Empire 
about  4oo.  In  the  United  Kingdom,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, they  are  retired  navy  and  military  officers. 

The  memorandum  further  states  that  the  objects 
of  the  Postal  Censorship  are  similar  to  those  of  the 
Cable  Censorship.  All  mails  that  have  to  be  censored 
are  necessarily  subject  to  some  delay,  but  harmless 
letters,  whether  private  or  commercial,  are  not  de- 
tained, even  when  coming  from  an  enemy  country 
or  addressed  to  an  enemy  person.  No  letter,  however, 
addressed  to  an  enemy  country  can  be  transmitted 
unless  its  envelope  is  left  open  and  is  enclosed  in  a 
cover  addressed  to  a  neutral  country.  Letters  in 
which  any  kind  of  code  or  secret  writing  is  used  are 
liable  to  be  detained  even  if  the  message  appears  to 
be  harmless  and  totally  unconnected  with  the  war. 
In  the  private  branch  more  than  a  ton  of  mail  matter 
is  censored  every  week,  exclusive  of  parcels.  Com- 
mercial correspondence  with  certain  foreign  countries 
is  dealt  with  in  the  trade  branch  and  amounts  to  nearly 
four  tons  every  week. 

LORD   ROBERT   CECIL'S   STATEMENT 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  confusion  in  the  public 
mind  between  the  press  censorship,  the  cable  censor- 
ship and  the  censorship  of  the  mails.  Even  the  latter 
is  complicated,  because  different  considerations  apply 
to  mails  originating  in,  or  destined  for,  the  United 
Kingdom;  mails  between  European  countries  and  the 
United  States  intended  to  pass  through  the  United 
Kingdom;  mails  carried  on  neutral  ships  which  vol- 
untarily call  at  British  ports;  and  letters  carried  on 
neutral  ships  which  would  not  enter  British  juris- 
diction without  some  form  of  compulsion.     The  dis- 


232      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

dinction  is  emphasized  in  a  letter  addressed  by  Lord 
Robert  Cecil,  Minister  of  Blockade,  to  an  American 
firm,  and  given  to  the  press.    The  letter  follows: 

Foreign  Office 

Gentlemen:  June  23rd>  *9l6 

I  am  directed  by  Lord  Robert  Cecil  to  thank  you 
for  your  letter  of  May  27th,  in  which  you  take  issue 
with  a  statement  made  by  him  to  a  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Times.  This  statement  was  that  great 
care  is  taken  to  forward  mails  between  neutral  coun- 
tries taken  from  neutral  ships  for  examination  by  the 
British  censors  as  quickly  as  possible.  You  say  that, 
during  the  last  six  or  eight  months,  your  correspond- 
ence with  Holland  has  suffered  great  delay. 

Lord   Robert    Cecil's   statement   was   intended   as 
an   assurance   that   the   postal   censorship   had   been 
perfecting  its  organization,  and  that,  from  the  time 
at   which   he   spoke,   Americans   could   be   confident 
that  their  letters  would  suffer  only  slight  delay  owing 
to  detention  by  the  censors.     He  did  not  intend  to 
exclude  the  possibility  that  delays  had  occurred  in 
earlier  days,  when  the  British  authorities  first  began 
to    examine    mails    carried    on    neutral    ships.     But 
even  if  such  delays  did  actually  occur,  it  is  by  no  means 
certain,  and,  in  fact,  it  is  in  many  cases  unlikely, 
that  those  delays  were  due  to  the  British  censorship. 
Mails   only   began  to   be  taken  from   neutral   ships 
for  censorship  last  December,  and  it  is  therefore  quite 
clear  that  delays  experienced  by  you  from  six  to  eight 
months  ago  cannot  have  been  due  to  the  censorship 
of  these  mails.    As  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of 
misunderstanding  on  this  subject,   I  am  to  explain 
the  following  points: 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  233 

The  American  mails  censored  in  the  United  King- 
dom must  be  divided  into  two  classes,  each  of  which 
is  dealt  with  by  a  special  organization: 

(i)  Terminal  mails,  i.  e.,  mails  originating  in,  or  des- 
tined for,  the  United  Kingdom.  The  censorship 
of  these  mails  is  one  of  the  universally  recognized 
rights  of  sovereignty,  and  it  has  been  exercised  since 
the  beginning  of  the  war,  without  any  protest  being 
made  against  it  by  neutral  Governments. 

(2)  Mails  neither  originating  in,  nor  destined  for,  the 
United  Kingdom.  These  must  be  further  sub- 
divided into  three  groups: 

(a)  Transit  mails,  i.  e.,  mails  between  European  coun- 
tries and  the  United  States  intended  by  the  office 
of  despatch  to  pass  through  the  United  Kingdom 
—  for  example,  mails  sent  from  Rotterdam  to 
this  country  for  re-transmission  from  Liverpool 
to  the  United  States.  Such  mails  are  forwarded 
by  the  British  Post-Office,  and  enjoy  the  facilities 
afforded  by  it  to  British  mails,  and  the  right  of 
censorship  over  them  while  in  transit  through 
British  territory  in  time  of  war  is  generally  ad- 
mitted. This  right,  however,  was  not  exerted 
at  the  beginning  of  this  war,  and  censorship  of 
these  transit  mails  only  came  into  force  in  April, 

IQl5. 

(6)  Mails  carried  by  neutral  ships  which  normally 
call  at  a  British  port  or  enter" British  jurisdiction 
without  any  form  of  compulsion. 

(c)  Mails  carried  by  neutral  ships  which  would 
not  enter  British  jurisdiction  without  some  form 
of  compulsion. 


234      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

The  first  ship  from  the  United  States  to  Holland 
from  which  the  mails  were  removed  was  the  Noor- 
derdijk.  These  mails  were  landed  at  Ramsgate  on 
the  1 8th  December,  191 5,  arrangements  not  having 
then  been  completed  to  remove  them  at  Falmouth. 
The  first  ship  from  Holland  to  the  United  States 
from  which  the  mails  were  removed  was  the  Noordam, 
which  entered  the  Downs  on  the  5th  December.  It 
is  to  classes  (6)  and  (c)  exclusively  that  the  present 
discussions  between  this  Government  and  other  neutral 
Governments  refer,  while  class  (c)  alone  is  covered 
by  the  Hague  Convention. 

Most  of  the  annoyance  caused  in  the  United  States 
by  the  action  of  His  Majesty's  Government  seems 
to  arise  from  a  confusion  between  the  above  kinds 
of  censorship.  It  is  to  the  last  two  kinds  only  that 
Lord  Robert  Cecil's  interview  referred,  and  the  British 
authorities  are  making  every  effort  to  perfect  their 
organization  so  that  the  necessity  of  examining  this 
class  of  mail  may  not  involve  long  delays.  But 
during  the  time  that  the  censorship  of  these  particular 
mails  has  been  in  force,  many  other  factors  have 
occurred  causing  delay,  quite  independently  of  the 
action  of  the  British  Government.  Sailings  from 
Holland  have  been  very  irregular,  owing  to  the  mine 
fields  sown  by  the  Germans  outside  Rotterdam, 
and  have,  at  times,  been  held  up  altogether,  as,  for 
instance,  after  the  sinking  of  the  Tubantia.  As  you 
are  aware,  the  Dutch  mail  boats  now  proceed  round 
the  north  of  Scotland  and  go  south,  calling  both  at 
Kirkwall  and  at  Falmouth  before  crossing  the  Atlantic, 
and  this  in  itself  causes  considerable  delay. 

So  far  as  the  censorship  is  concerned,   the  delay 
in  the  case  of  mails  from  Holland  to  the  United  States 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  235 

will  not  be  greater  than  between  four  and  five  days 
from  the  date  when  the  mails  are  unloaded  at  Kirk- 
wall to  the  date  when  they  are  handed  by  the  censors 
to  the  Post-Office  to  be  sent  on.  The  delay  caused 
to  mails  from  the  United  States  to  Holland  will  not 
be  longer  than  six  days  in  all.  The  Post-Office  will 
always  forward  the  mail  by  the  next  boat  to  its  des- 
tination, and  whether  delay  occurs  in  this  operation 
will  solely  depend  upon  the  regularity  of  sailings. 
It  will  be  seen  that  letters  contained  in  the  outward 
mails  will  sometimes,  and  those  in  the  inward  mails 
generally,  reach  their  destination  as  early  as,  or  earlier 
than,  if  left  on  board  the  Dutch  ship. 

When  the  urgent  need  of  examining  first-class 
mails,  in  order  to  intercept  those  postal  packets  which 
are  admittedly  liable  to  be  treated  as  contraband, 
was  first  realized,  it  would  have  been  possible  at  once 
to  have  brought  the  organization  of  the  censorship 
to  the  level  of  efficiency  it  has  since  reached  by  col- 
lecting hurriedly  a  large  enough  number  of  examiners; 
but  it  was  thought  that  infinitely  more  harm  would 
be  done  to  neutral  correspondence  by  allowing  their 
letters  to  be  handled  by  persons  engaged  hastily, 
whose  character  and  reliability  had  not  been  thoroughly 
tested,  than  by  subjecting  the  letters  at  first  to  some 
fight  delay.  The  necessary  staff  has  now  been 
carefully  selected,  and  this  delay  eliminated. 

In  conclusion,  Lord  Robert  Cecil  would  be  much 
obliged  if  you  would  furnish  him  with  more  exact 
particulars  of  the  letters  which  you  complain  of  being 
delayed,  giving,  where  possible,  the  date  of  the  letter, 
the  mail  boat  by  which  it  was  despatched,  and,  if 
registered,  the  registration  number  of  the  packet, 
in  order  that  enquiry  may  be  made  into  each  case. 


236      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

As  there  is  so  much  misunderstanding  on  these 
points,  and  in  the  hope  that  the  above  explanation 
may  do  something  to  make  the  position  clear,  Lord 
Robert  Cecil  proposes  to  publish  the  text  of  this 
letter  for  general  information. 


DISCUSSION   IN   PARLIAMENT 

Lord  Grey  of  Fallodon  stated  in  the  House  of  Lords, 
January  6,  1916,  that  goods  otherwise  liable  to  seizure 
on  board  neutral  vessels  do  not,  under  international 
law,  acquire  immunity  by  the  mere  fact  of  being 
sent  through  the  post.  The  Allied  governments  are 
accordingly  applying  the  same  treatment  to  all  such 
goods,  however  conveyed.  The  Allied  governments 
do  not  at  present  interfere  with  postal  correspondence 
found  on  neutral  vessels  on  the  high  seas,  but  they 
exercise  their  undoubted  rights  to  examine  and  censor 
such  correspondence  when  ships  carrying  them  enter 
their  territory. 

In  the  House  of  Commons,  January  27,  1916,  Mr. 
King  asked  the  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs 
whether  he  could  make  a  statement  concerning  cor- 
respondence with  the  Dutch  government  about  the 
intercepting  of  postal  matter  in  transit  on  the  sea; 
and  whether  any  offer  to  submit  the  question  to 
arbitration  had  been  made.  In  answer  to  Mr.  King's 
question,  Lord  Robert  Cecil  stated  that  the  corres- 
pondence with  the  Scandinavian  government  would 
shortly  be  laid  before  Parliament.  On  February  21, 
19 1 6,  Lord  Robert  Cecil  stated  that  the  publication 
of  the  correspondence  with  the  Dutch  government 
on  the  question  of  the  interception  of  postal  matter 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  287 

and  other  correspondence  on  the  same  subject  was 
under  consideration;  but  as  the  moment  for  publish- 
ing correspondence  which  was  still  in  progress  depended 
partly  on  arrangements  with  the  other  governments 
concerned,  he  could  say  nothing  definite  regarding 
the  suggestion  that  the  question  should  be  submitted 
to  arbitration.  Consultations  with  the  Allies  were 
proceeding  on  the  whole  subject  and  he  preferred 
to  make  no  statement  at  that  time. 

On  July  19,  19 1 6,  it  was  stated  in  Parliament  that 
matter  published  in  certain  papers  like  the  Times, 
the  Daily  Mail,  the  Morning  Post,  the  Labour  Leader 
and  the  Tribunal  had  been  used  by  the  enemy  for 
propagandist  purposes;  that  extracts  from  the  Daily 
Mail  were  being  translated  into  European  and  Asiatic 
languages,  and  that  they  were  doing  great  damage 
to  the  cause  of  Great  Britain.  Attention,  however, 
was  called  to  the  fact  that  none  of  these  papers  had 
ever  said  a  word  except  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
war  with  the  utmost  vigor. 

The  question  of  the  opening  of  letters  addressed 
to  members  was  discussed  in  Parliament,  December 
18,  191 6.  Mr.  Macpherson,  the  Liberal  member  for 
Ross  and  Cromarty,  replying  to  a  question  put  by 
Mr.  Touche,  said  that  all  mails  coming  from  France 
were  liable  to  be  submitted  to  the  military  censor. 
No  discrimination  is  made  between  different  members 
of  the  House.  "It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose,"  said 
Mr.  Macpherson,  "that  the  opening  of  a  letter  by 
the  Censor  constitutes  any  reflection  either  on  the 
writer  or  the  recipient.  The  object  of  the  Censor- 
ship is  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  making  use  of 
indiscretions,  to  which  experience  shows  the  best 
intentioned  persons  are  liable." 


238      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Just  before  the  last  Christmas  holidays  the  War 
Office  issued  a  reminder  to  the  public  that  pictorial 
illustrations  and  photographs  of  all  kinds,  whether 
on  post-cards,  Christmas,  New  Year  or  birthday 
cards  addressed  to  neutral  or  enemy  countries,  or 
enclosed  in  letters  so  addressed,  and  whether  the 
illustration  itself  did  or  did  not  represent  an  object 
of  interest  to  the  enemy,  would  in  the  future  be  stopped 
by  the  military  censor,  except:  (i)  Family  photo- 
graphs addressed  to  British  subjects  interned  in  neutral 
and  enemy  countries;  (2)  illustrations  in  publications 
posted  by  firms  holding  a  permit;  and  (3)  illustrations 
and  photographs  enclosed  in  letters  or  other  postal 
packets  by  firms  who  have  occasion  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  their  trade  to  despatch  such  articles  to  their 
agents  or  customers  in  neutral  countries. 

THE   CHECKING   OF   ENEMY   COMMERCE 

One  of  the  principal  functions  of  the  Censorship 
is  to  act  as  a  deterrent  to  all  the  undertakings  of  the 
enemy.  That  it  has  succeeded  in  its  purpose  is  evi- 
denced by  the  following  extracts  from  intercepted 
letters  published  in  the  Times,  December  12,  191 6: 

"As  you  see  the  English  are  making  so  many  dis- 
agreeables and  seizing  the  post  that  our  business  is 
quite  ruined.  People  do  not  dare  to  send  money  any 
more  because  they  do  not  receive  receipts  from  home." 

"As  I  see  from  your  telegram  sent  a  few  days  ago 
our  lists  have  not  arrived  for  three  weeks  now.  .  .  . 
I  think  that  if  you  sent  the  receipts  in  fifteen  private 
envelopes  I  should  perhaps  receive  them." 

"It  is  incredible  how  you  have  helped  the  English 
Censor  to  establish  the  names  of  our  agents  and  also 
the  fact  that  G.  and  G.  looked  after  our  letters  .  .  . 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  23g 

you  appear  to  have  received  no  post  from  us  since 
the  beginning  of  March.  Worse  still  is  the  fact  that 
because  of  the  Censorship  you  have  not  got  our  in- 
voices or  bills  of  lading.  From  this  miserable  con- 
dition in  which  the  English  sea-robbery  has  placed 
us  there  is  no  way  out." 

"In  conjunction  with  this  we  should  like  to  say 
that  according  to  our  experience  it  seems  now  to  be 
utterly  impossible  to  ship  any  goods  to  foreign  coun- 
tries. Since  the  middle  of  April  we  received  one 
single  letter  from  one  of  our  friends  in  the  States  in 
which  he  advises  us  that  he  instructed  a  banker  in 
Berlin  to  remit  us  a  certain  amount.  This  remittance, 
however,  we  do  not  receive  up  to  the  present." 

'  Whatever  the  English  want  they  get,  for  the  whole 
postal  communication  with  Germany  is  completely 
upset,  and  we  never  know  whether  one  can  draw 
money  or  send  money  to  the  other  side.  It  is  very 
unpleasant  for  me  also  that  I  send  25,ooo  marks 
to  Z.,  and  if  this  remittance  has  not  arrived  then  all 
the  interest  will  be  lost  and  many  months  will  go 
by  before  I  get  over  all  the  difficulties.  ...  At 
this  moment  I  have  a  consignment  lying  at  L.,  but  I 
have  received  no  invoices  and  no  bills  of  lading.  Every- 
thing has  again  been  stolen.  These  are  the  difficulties 
we  have  to  fight  against.  I  hope  it  will  not  be  long 
before  peace  is  signed." 

"In  consequence  of  the  condition  of  the  postal 
service  with  your  side,  business  is  on  a  dead  standstill." 

From  the  above  we  can  see  how  German  commercial 
enterprise  in  foreign  countries  has  been  checked  by 
cutting  off  both  correspondence  and  remittances. 
Although  approximately  half  a  million  business  letters 


2^0      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

passing  between  America  and  Europe  were  examined 
in  the  month  of  January,  191 7,  less  than  ten  were 
found  to  belong  to  enemy  firms.  The  attempt  to 
use  wireless  telegraphy  in  place  of  the  mails  has  met 
with  obstacles.  In  addition  to  the  high  cost  of  sending 
messages  by  wireless  there  are  other  limitations  to 
this  kind  of  service  as  indicated  in  the  following  inter- 
cepted letters  from  enemy  firms: 

'  Your  claim  (says  one  writer)  in  regard  to  the  trans- 
mission of  your  subscription  may  be  attributed  to 
the  fact  that  you  are  ignorant  of  the  circumstances 
that  the  cable  connection  with  the  Monarchy  has 
been  completely  interrupted  and  that  therefore,  apart 
from  wireless  telegraphy,  the  only  way  to  transfer 
orders  was  by  letters.  As  regards  communications 
by  means  of  wireless  telegraphy,  we  would  respect- 
fully inform  you  that  it  is  up  to  the  present  very 
unsatisfactory  as  a  result  of  atmospheric  disturbances. 
Long  delays  are  unavoidable,  and  unfortunately 
messages  are  often  distorted.  Whenever  possible 
we  are  transferring  our  orders  by  letter." 

"We  have  made  (writes  another)  a  number  of  at- 
tempts to  get  in  touch  with  our  bankers  in  Germany 
by  wireless,  but  up  to  the  present  without  success." 

"As  soon  as  I  found  (says  a  third)  that  all  my  letters, 
so  to  speak,  fell  in  the  water,  and  did  not  reach  their 
destination,  I  gave  up  writing  any  more.  Similarly 
I  did  not  receive  a  single  letter  from  your  side.  Com- 
munication by  wireless  was  also  doubtful  in  the  highest 
degree,  and  one  often  had  no  idea  as  to  whether  the 
message  was  destroyed  by  the  Censor  or  whether 
it  ever  reached  its  destination  or  not.  Taking  it 
all  round  the  present  conditions  are  nothing  less  than 
infernal  for  a  merchant  who  has  been  accustomed 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  2/jl 

to  a  gradual  and  steady  development  of  his  business 
relations,  and  we  can  only  hope  that  everything  will 
some  day  turn  out  for  the  best." 

IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  CENSORSHIP 

Possibly  no  phase  of  activity  which  sprang  into 
being  as  a  result  of  the  war  has  been  more  misunder- 
stood and  at  the  same  time  more  essential  to  the 
public  good  than  the  British  War  Office  Censorship. 
From  the  first  its  workers  have  been  immensely  im- 
pressed with  the  responsibility  of  handling  the  corre- 
spondence of  half  the  world.  Respect  for  the  rights 
of  these  correspondents  has  always  been  the  first 
consideration  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the 
majority  of  the  readers  employed  by  the  Censorship 
bring  to  their  task  a  purely  academic  attitude.  It  is 
a  type  of  work  especially  uncongenial  to  the  English 
character  —  foreign  to  its  habits  and  traditions,  though 
an  inevitable  necessity  in  time  of  war.  Its  exhausting 
nature  is  almost  beyond  description.  Some  readers 
pass  upon  as  many  as  4oo  letters  a  day.  The  exami- 
nation of  books  and  other  publications  is  of  necessity 
a  slower  process. 

Starting  in  London  as  a  group  of  3o  workers,  chiefly 
volunteers,  the  Censorship  began  its  delicate  and 
difficult  task  (in  September,  191 4)  in  a  small  base- 
ment room  of  the  postoffice  building.  To-day  the 
London  branch  alone  occupies  six  floors  of  a  large 
building  —  Strand  House,  in  Carey  street.  Of  its 
3ooo  employees  about  1700  are  women,  the  remainder 
being  men  over  military  age,  neutrals  and  wounded 
officers.  Many  of  these  employees  are  skilled  lin- 
guists. In  the  Department  of  Uncommon  Languages 
1 57  languages  are  dealt  with,  including  Gaelic,  Welsh, 


2/|2      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Erse  and  five  or  six  types  of  Yiddish.  It  is  a  matter 
of  surprise  and  interest  to  know  that  so  many  persons 
are  in  the  habit  of  corresponding  by  such  unusual 
means. 

The  aim  of  the  Censor  is  not,  as  many  persons  seem 
to  believe,  to  see  how  many  letters  and  publications 
may  properly  be  detained,  but  to  endeavor  —  as  rapidly 
as  possible  —  to  send  on  everything  that  is  found 
to  contain  no  information  of  value  to  the  enemy 
and  nothing  that  could  injure  the  cause  of  the  Allies. 

In  the  Philadelphia  Saturday  Evening  Post  of  April 
28  and  May  5,  19 17,  Major  Eric  Fisher  Wood  published 
two  excellent  articles  on  the  British  Censorship. 
They  are  reprinted  in  his  "Note-book  of  an  Intel- 
ligence Officer"  (New  York,  The  Century  Co.,  1917, 
pp.  1 8-65).  To  this  painstaking  study  we  may  refer 
any  one  who  wishes  information  on  the  organization 
of  the  Censorship  as  a  whole.  The  purpose  of  the 
present  paper  is  to  deal  more  particularly  with  the 
Censorship  as  it  affects  the  supply  of  publications 
of  enemy  origin  to  American  librarians  and  scholars. 

Detection  of  German  propaganda  and  contraband 
of  war  in  the  mails  is  by  no  means  the  principal 
function  of  the  Censorship.  The  London  Times,  De- 
cember 12,  191 6,  observes  that  the  Censorship  may 
not  unfairly  be  called  the  eyes  of  the  blockade.  Its 
principal  work,  it  continues,  lies  in  detecting  and 
frustrating  the  innumerable  and  everchanging  sub- 
terfuges contrived  by  the  enemy  with  the  connivance 
of  neutral  intermediaries  for  evading  the  blockade 
and  carrying  the  sinews  of  war  into  Central  Europe 
in  the  form  either  of  goods  or  credit.  The  contriv- 
ance of  such  schemes  by  cable  or  by  wireless  is  ob- 
viously impossible,  and  the  examination  of  the  mails 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  2^3 

has  in  countless  cases  proved  an  insuperable  obstacle 
to  their  success. 

GERMAN   PROPAGANDIST   LITERATURE 

For  what  follows  here  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Harry 
Melvill,  librarian  of  the  Censorship,  who  was  most 
generous  in  granting  interviews  and  in  placing  at 
my  disposal  many  of  his  own  interesting  memoranda. 

Mr.  Melvill  has  gathered,  arranged  and  carefully 
studied  some  2000  specimens  of  various  kinds  of  Ger- 
man propagandist  literature.  In  his  unique  library 
are  single  copies  of  every  book,  pamphlet  and  •periodi- 
cal of  enemy  origin  detained  by  the  censor  since 
September  1,  191^.  This  material  Mr.  Melvill  has 
divided  into  groups:  philosophical,  religious,  educa- 
tional and  pure  propaganda.  But  he  has  done  much 
'more  than  this  in  divining  the  motive  behind  the 
publication  itself. 

Before  the  war  German  propagandist  literature 
for  both  commercial  and  religious  purposes  was  sent 
out  on  a  scale  that  no  other  country  had  ever  at- 
tempted. Many  private  individuals  and  establish- 
ments of  various  sorts  scattered  all  over  the  world 
had  been  receiving  gratis  —  for  months,  sometimes 
even  for  years  —  German  literature  in  one  form  or 
another.  Therefore,  upon  the  outbreak  of  the  war, 
it  was  not  an  occasion  for  special  surprise  to  them  to 
receive  the  new  propagandist  literature.  And  just 
as  for  purposes  of  distribution  of  ordinary  propa- 
ganda the  Germans  used  the  channels  of  commerce 
ready  to  hand  which  had  been  so  long  and  so  freely 
at  the  service  of  their  commercial  propaganda,  so 
there  is  no  doubt  in  Mr.  Melvill's  mind  that  religious 
congregations  of  various  phases  of  thought  had  kept 


ikhr      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

in  the  closest  touch  with  those  of  the  same  persuasion 
in  neutral  countries  with  a  view  to  the  distribution 
of  the  so-called  religious  propaganda. 

In  a  memorandum  prepared  several  months  ago, 
Mr.  Melvill  divided  the  objects  of  the  German  propa- 
ganda into  the  following  five  classes : 

(i)  To  draw  attention  to  the  perfection  of  German 
methods  of  organization. 

(2)  To  give  an  exaggerated  impression  of  the  suc- 

cesses achieved  by  Germany  in  the  war. 

(3)  To  neutralize  as  far  as  possible  the  bad  effects 

produced  by  earlier  excesses. 

(4)  By  more  subtle  touches  to  indicate  the  growth 

of  dissension  among  the  Allies  and  modifica- 
tions in  the  attitude  of  neutrals  towards  the  ul- 
timate result  of  the  war. 

(5)  To  misrepresent,  as  far  as  possible,  through  the 

distortion  of  past  expressions  of  opinion  by 
writers  of  the  Allied  Nations,  and  by  the  employ- 
ment of  renegades,  to  deal  with  such  topics  as 
the  treatment  of  subject  races  by  the  Allies. 

The  first  two  objects  were  mainly  served  by  the 
German  war  literature  in  general  and  the  remaining 
three  by  propagandist  literature. 

THE   PROPAGANDIST   PRESS 

The  earliest  steps  in  regard  to  propaganda  proper 
were  taken  by  the  Press.  The  Ueberseedienst  [Trans- 
ozean]  from  the  first  utilized  its  large  pecuniary 
resources,  not  only  to  obtain  publication  of  its  garbled 
war  telegrams,  Germanophile  articles  and  frequently 
falsified  photographs  in  a  large  number  of  neutral 
papers,  but  also  to  acquire  entire  control  of  several 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  245 

already  existing  and  to  launch  new  ones  of  their  own. 
Notable  among  the  latter  are  the  Germania  at  Buenos 
Aires,  and  papers  of  the  same  name  at  Bogota,  Gua- 
yaquil and  San  Paulo;  the  Heraldo  Aleman  at  San 
Salvador  and  the  Eco  Aleman  at  Guatemala.  In 
China,  in  association  with  the  Ostasiatischer  Lloyd, 
they  founded  The  War  and  a  Chinese  edition  of  the 
Deutsche  Zeitung  fur  China  at  Shanghai,  and  the  Um- 
schau  and  Rundschau  at  Bangkok.  The  Kontinentale 
Korrespondenz  (in  German,  English,  Spanish  and 
Portuguese)  designed  to  furnish  the  neutral  press  with 
ready  made  copy,  was  also  their  creation.  Moreover, 
they  themselves  published  various  ployglot  periodicals 
and  leaflets  which  found  a  host  of  imitators,  and 
without  doubt  many  of  these  made  their  way  to  places 
which  books  and  pamphlets  could  not  reach. 

Furthermore,  the  Presse-Abteilung  zur  Beeinflussung 
der  Neutralen  served  a  similar  purpose  and  was  more 
or  less  responsible  for  the  publication  of  the  War 
Chronicle  in  German,  English,  French,  Spanish  and 
Dutch,  and  for  De  Toekomst  published  in  Holland  in 
Dutch.  This  organization  was  solely  responsible  for 
the  creation  of  a  propagandist  comic  paper  printed  in 
Spanish  and  entitled  La  [Guasa  internacional.  The 
Hamburger  Fremdenblatt,  with  its  "Welt  im  Bild" 
issued  in  twelve  languages,  and  the  Hamburger  Nach- 
richten,  with  Spanish  and  Portuguese  editions,  were 
some  of  the  first  recruits,  while  the  enrolment  of 
the  most  disreputable  of  the  latter  belongs  also  to  the 
initial  stages  of  the  campaign.  There  were  also  the 
British  renegades  and  cosmopolitan  hacks  constitut- 
ing the  staff  of  the  Continental  Times,  a  sheet 
purporting  to  be  established  for  "Americans  in  Eu- 
rope."   The  Gazette  des  Ardennes,  though  belonging  to 


2^6      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

a  later  period,  may  be  mentioned  here,  as  the  two  are 
often  classed  together.  Published  in  Charleville,  it 
endeavors,  by  the  insertion  of  lists  of  French  prisoners 
in  Germany,  to  obtain  readers  in  the  occupied  portion 
of  France,  while  the  Russki  Vyestnik,  published  in 
Berlin,  was  produced  for  distribution  among  Russian 
prisoners  of  war  and  in  occupied  parts  of  Poland. 

The  mobilization  of  the  whole  German  press,  ex- 
plained Mr.  Melvill,  was  equally  complete.  Every 
newspaper,  which  hitherto  had  published  general 
or  special  news,  published  practically  nothing  but 
war  news.  As  an  instance  to  which  this  policy  had 
been  carried  out  he  cited  the  fact  that  the  Criminal 
Zeitung  continues  to  appear  under  its  old  title,  but 
has  replaced  records  of  crime  by  the  exploits  of  soldiers; 
that  art  journals  substituted  "Kriegsjahr"  for  the 
year  of  publication,  and  that  the  Miinchener  Medi- 
zinische  Wochenschrifl  had  extended  the  hospitality 
of  its  columns  to  a  prose  paraphrase  of  the  Hymn  of 
Hate.  While  it  was  not  suggested  that  the  mass  of 
scientific,  technical  and  medical  journals  published 
in  Germany  ceased  to  devote  themselves  to  subjects 
of  special  interest  to  their  readers,  Mr.  Melvill  was 
convinced  that  they  also  served  a  propagandist  pur- 
pose by  being  distributed  in  isolated  numbers  to  show 
that  "Continuous  research  and  industrial  develop- 
ment under,  and  in  spite  of  war  conditions"  is  to  be 
taken  as  Germany's  somewhat  ponderous  reply  to 
the  British  slogan:  "Business  as  usual." 

GERMAN   USE   OF   ENEMY   LITERATURE 

That  the  Germans  in  general,  and  those  engaged  in 
the  preparation  of  propaganda  in  particular,  have 
a  fund  of  knowledge  of  the  literature  of  their  enemies, 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  2^7 

is  indisputable.  There  is  very  little  that  the  Allies 
have  said  against  themselves  or  each  other  which 
has  not  found  its  way  to  the  shelves  in  the  Wilhelm- 
strasse.  Carlyle  and  Herbert  Spencer,  files  of  the  Times 
and  Punch  are  all  requisitioned.  The  censorship 
librarian  suggested  that  the  "England  von  Innen" 
number  of  the  Siiddeutsche  Monatshefte  might  bear 
as  a  sub-title,  dear  to  Germans:  "See  what  they  say 
of  themselves."  The  corresponding  "Frankreich 
von  Innen"  number  represents  what  the  Germans 
say  of  the  French,  although  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the 
Germans  recently  have  represented  the  French  as  the 
most  humane  and  cultivated  of  their  enemies.  In 
this  utilization  of  Allied  material,  there  is  of  course 
much  that  is  mutilated  and  distorted,  but  there  is 
a  growing  tendency  to  publish  without  comment 
wherever  possible.  A  good  instance  of  this  policy 
(and  at  the  same  time  a  nice  literary  touch  in  propa- 
ganda) is  afforded  by  De  Engelsche  Tieranny,  a  recent 
production  of  the  Dutch  Germanophile  organ  De 
Toehomst.  Originally  published  at  Amsterdam  in 
1 78 1,  it  is  now  reprinted  in  the  old  type  on  an  exact 
reproduction  of  the  old  paper  and  with  the  old  engrav- 
ings of  supposed  English  pillage  and  oppression. 
The  text  is  made  up  of  conversations  between  a  father 
and  a  son,  recalling  legendary  grievances  of  the  Dutch 
against  the  English  and  foreshadowing,  almost  ver- 
batim, the  comments  on  the  British  attitude  toward 
small  nations  which  are  never  out  of  the  mouths  of 
their  enemies  to-day. 

As  a  pioneer  of  the  propaganda  proper  in  its  relation 
to  books  and  pamphlets,  Mr.  Melvill  thinks  that 
pride  of  place  may  be  accorded  to  Houston  Stewart 
Chamberlain,    though   his   success    as   an   evangelist 


2^8      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

has  been  in  the  inverse  ratio  to  his  prestige  as  a 
British-born  apostle  of  German  "Kultur." 

Touching   upon   the  endeavor  to  stimulate  unrest 
in  India,  my  informant  said  that  the  Indische  Gesell- 
schaft,  hand  in  glove  with  the  Hindustan  Ghadar  of 
San    Francisco    and    the    so-called    Indian    National 
Party,  have  produced  a  mass  of  literature,  much  of 
which  claims  to  have  been  printed  in  England  by 
presses  which  never  existed.     "British  Rule  in  India 
condemned  by  the  British  themselves"  is  a  patch- 
work  of  utterances   by   more   or   less   distinguished 
Britishers,  ranging  from  Lord  Clive  to  Keir  Hardie. 
It  is  prefaced  by  John  Stuart  Mill's  pronouncement: 
"The  Government  of  a  people  by  itself  has  a  meaning 
and  a  reality,  but  such  a  thing  as  government  of 
one  people  by  another  does  not  and  cannot  exist." 
Like  the  reprint  of  William  Jennings  Bryan's  article 
with  an  almost  similar  title,  it  has  received  the  honor 
of  translation  into  almost  every  known  language  and 
has  found  a  sequel  in  "Why  India  is  in  revolt  against 
British  rule."    This  pamphlet  purports  to  come  from 
a  mythical  Labor  Press,  Edinburgh,  but  the  very  fact 
that  the  word  Labor  is  spelled  without  a  u  shows  it 
to  be  the  product  of  an  American  press.     Of  the  mass 
of   other   pamphlets   in   native   languages,    including 
Chinese,   some   are   illustrated   with   photographs   of 
the  execution  of  Egyptian  natives  in  connection  with 
the  Denshawi  incident  of  some  years  ago. 

INSTRUCTIONAL   BOOKS 

The  Germans  made  special  endeavors  to  distribute 
propaganda  in  instructional  books  because  they 
rightly  thought  that  such  were  allowed  to  pass.  But 
Mr.   Melvill  believes  that  they  never  have  realized 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  249 

the  thoroughness  with  which  the  censoring  is  conducted 
and  doubtless  have  no  idea  that  any  book  is  ever 
read  from  cover  to  cover.  The  use  of  every  kind 
of  publication  in  Germany  for  furthering  its  cause 
has,  however,  made  this  extreme  caution  necessary. 
Attention  was  called  to  the  September,  191 6,  number 
of  a  serious  magazine  like  the  Deutsche  Rundschau  con- 
taining an  article  on  the  martyrdom  of  Roger  Case- 
ment, bound  for  export  in  a  cover  dated  September, 
1902,  in  the  hope  that  the  censor  would  dismiss  it  as 
pre-war  literature.  The  record  of  Lieut.  Pluschow's 
double  exploit  in  escaping  from  Sing  Tau  by  aeroplane 
and  from  Donington  Hall  by  a  neutral  boat  was 
bound  up  in  a  school-boy's  ink-stained  copy  of  another 
Odyssey,  that  of  Homer,  in  the  belief  that  instruc- 
tional books  were  subjected  to  only  the  most  cursory 
examination.  Not  content  with  this,  grammars  in 
Turkish  and  Portuguese,  detained  in  the  mails,  have 
been  found  to  have  all  their  examples  and  exercises 
of  a  definitely  propagandist  character.  As  an  instance 
of  the  former,  the  Tiirkische  Lesestticke,  by  Dr.  Hans 
Stumm  (Leipzig,  1916)  contains  a  letter  from  a  Tur- 
kish soldier  to  his  mother,  extolling  the  German 
comrade-in-arms  and  vilifying  the  French  and  English 
opposition  in  the  Dardanelles.  A  grammar  in  the 
Portuguese  language  imparts  a  glowing  glorification 
of  German  trade  enterprises  in  Brazil. 

But  perhaps  the  best  example  of  German  inventive- 
ness on  record  in  the  library  of  the  Censorship  is  an 
attempt  to  smuggle  to  a  prisoner  of  war  political 
information  between  the  covers  of  a  pocket  edition 
of  a  humorous  publication  entitled  Stratenfegels  — 
one  of  a  series  of  the  Reclam's  Universal-Bibliothek. 
An  exceedingly  innocent  looking  little  collection  of 


25o      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

verse  and  tales  in  low  German,  the  "inventor"  of 
it  doubtless  thought  that  no  mere  censor  could  or 
would  take  the  trouble  to  read  through  its  90  pages 
in  order  to  discover  that  although  page  48  continues 
quite  properly  over  to  page  ^9  and  for  five  fines  thereon, 
the  sixth  line  begins  a  letter  to  "Dear  Brother." 
This  letter,  containing  information  about  the  situa- 
tion in  Germany,  occupies  four  pages,  each  one  thus 
cleverly  placed  at  intervals  throughout  the  book.  All 
well-known  names  are  disguised  in  the  supposition 
that  the  little  volume  would  at  most  be  glanced  at 
only  hastily  and  thus  the  eye  would  not  be  attracted 
to  them.  For  example,  Bethman-Holweg  becomes  for 
the  purposes  of  evasion  Manbeth-Wegholl. 

The  manifesto  of  the  French  Catholic  bishops 
gave  the  first  impetus  to  the  extensive  contributions 
of  so-called  religious  propaganda  which  have  figured 
so  largely  in  the  campaign,  Deutsche  Kultur,  Katho- 
lizismus  und  Welt  Krieg  leading  the  way.  Protestant 
as  well  as  Catholic  weekly  and  monthly  letters  sprang 
into  existence  and  have  since  been  extensively  cir- 
culated, wrapped  up  in  war  literature,  or  vice  versa. 
Jesus  und  der  Krieg  and  Die  Bibel  als  Kriegsbuch  are 
the  titles  of  two  brochures  and  Mr.  Melvill  regards 
it  as  scarcely  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  Ger- 
mans have  pressed  every  phase  of  religious  belief 
into  their  service.  An  exception  must  be  made  for 
Christian  Science,  he  adds,  which,  though  originating 
in  America,  is  considered  by  the  Germans  a  purely 
British  possession. 

THE   CENSORSHIP   LIBRARY 

The  collection  of  propaganda  proper  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the   War   Office   Postal   Censorship  is  most 


BRITISH     CENSORSHIP  25l 

varied  and  comprehensive.  As  respects  German  war 
literature  in  general,  as  distinct  from  propaganda 
proper,  it  was  impressed  upon  the  writer  that  the 
former  has  been  distributed  by  the  same  recipients 
as  the  latter.  Ample  confirmation  is  afforded  by 
intercepted  letters  of  the  fact  that  such  literature 
is  looked  upon  as  propaganda  by  the  Germans  them- 
selves. All  German  war  publications  must  there- 
fore be  regarded  by  the  Censorship  as  propagandist. 
The  amount  of  it  sent  through  the  mails  clearly  proves 
that  it  is  designed  to  help  the  German  cause.  The 
ever-increasing  mass  of  war  literature  has  been  pro- 
moted by  means  of  translation  to  take  its  place  in 
the  propagandist  ranks.  Die  Kriegsgefangenen  in 
Deutschland,  one  of  the  Montanus  Bucher  series  — 
uniform  with  similar  publications  dealing  with  Ger- 
man history,  naval  and  military  efficiency,  and  pro- 
fusely illustrated  —  was  naturally  of  great  interest 
to  the  Germans  who  were  entertaining  within  their 
gates  so  many  strangers  of  various  types  and  nationali- 
ties. It  has  been  translated  into  Spanish  and  all  the 
languages  of  the  Allies,  and  has  been  one  of  the  pub- 
lications most  widely  distributed  for  propaganda 
purposes.  The  innumerable  books  dealing  with  every 
phase  of  the  campaign,  East  and  West,  undoubtedly 
play  their  part,  if  only  by  their  titles  in  a  publisher's 
catalogue,  as  showing  how  many  places  German  troops 
have  visited,  though  their  stay  in  some  cases  has  not 
been  very  prolonged.  The  wholesale  idealization  of 
their  heroes,  undertaken  in  the  first  flush  of  their 
success,  has  been  industriously  continued.  Countless 
details  about  the  fives  of  Hindenburg  and  Mackensen, 
Weddigen  and  Immelmann,  personal  narratives  of 
Captain  Koenig,  and  commanders  of  other  ships  and 


252      WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

submarines,  the  frequency  with  which  the  Goeben 
and  the  Breslau,  the  Emden  and  the  Dresden  figure 
on  the  backs  of  books,  however  trivial,  all  contribute 
to  recall  their  exploits. 

It  is  too  early  for  the  Censorship  to  estimate  how 
completely  the  propagandist  campaign  has  failed  to 
justify  the  time,  money  and  trouble  lavished  upon 
its  prosecution.  Even  without  Great  Britain's  inter- 
ference with  the  mails,  it  would  appear  probable  that 
no  amount  of  variety  could  have  prevented  its  very 
volume  and  insistence  from  defeating  its  own  ends. 
As  Mr.  Melvill  points  out,  its  material  has  revealed 
a  mine  of  knowledge,  its  methods  are  characterized 
by  much  German  efficiency,  and  certain  of  its  manip- 
ulations have  developed  much  quite  un-German  sup- 
pleness, but  as  regards  the  Wilhelmstrasse's  main 
objectives,  it  has  missed  the  mark. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  LOUVAIN 
AND  ITS  LIBRARY 


V.  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  LOUVAIN 
AND    ITS   LIBRARY 

AS  a  center  of  humanism  the  University  of  Lou- 
vain  transformed  the  education  of  Belgium. 
It  produced  not  only  great  scholars,  but  also 
trained  statesmen  and  devoted  teachers.  Its  in- 
fluence spread  not  only  over  the  whole  of  Europe, 
but  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

Through  the  mediation  of  the  Duke  of  Brabant,  a 
patron  of  literature  and  the  fine  arts,  Pope  Martin  V 
was  induced  to  issue  a  bull  sanctioning  the  foundation 
of  the  University,  which  was  established  in  i/i25. 
But  from  the  first  the  civic  authorities  had  a  part  in 
its  activities.  For  more  than  two  hundred  years 
professors  and  students  shared  a  portion  of  the  Cloth- 
makers'  Hall  with  the  merchants. 

In  i5o2  Erasmus,  a  native  of  Rotterdam,  arrived 
at  Louvain,  which  he  revisited  several  times  in  the 
course  of  subsequent  travels  across  Europe,  and  where 
he  found  a  circle  of  admirers  and  friends.  Among 
these  may  be  mentioned  such  men  as  Despautere, 
Paludanus  and  the  printer  Martens.  Besides  these 
there  was  Jean  Nevius  who  made  his  College  du  Lys 
an  active  center  of  classical  studies  where  the  students 
succeeded  in  presenting  the  comedies  of  Plautus. 

In  i5i7  Busleiden  left  funds  for  a  college  in  which 

Greek  should  be  taught.    Erasmus,  who  was  called 

to  Louvain  as  the  head  of  this  college,  succeeded  in  a 

little  more  than  two  years  in  inspiring  a  group  of 

a55 


256       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

educational  workers  who  gave  to  Louvain  a  position 
among  the  Universities  second  only  to  that  of  Paris. 
He  resided  in  Louvain  more  or  less  continuously  from 
i5i7  to  1 52 1,  when  he  was  at  the  height  of  his  fame, 
and  secured  for  his  staff  some  of  the  best  humanists 
of  his  time.  He  defended  these  men  and  also  the 
college,  with  its  new  Renaissance  aims,  against  the 
attacks  of  scholastic  theologians  and  philosophers. 
Humanism  was  not  concerned  with  a  purely  literary 
ideal,  but  affected  both  the  political  and  religious  life. 
It  aimed  its  darts  against  the  ruling  ideas  and  insti- 
tutions of  the  day  in  biting  satire,  of  which  the  best 
expression  is  found  in  the  "Praise  of  Folly"  by  Eras- 
mus. This  work  was  dedicated  to  the  English  hu- 
manist, Sir  Thomas  More,  who  a  little  later  published, 
at  Louvain,  a  no  less  celebrated  satire,  "Utopia." 
Erasmus's  editio  princeps  of  the  Greek  Testament, 
with  Latin  translation,  though  accomplished  in  Eng- 
land, found  its  friends  and  enemies  in  the  author's 
Louvain  period,  and  established  the  absolute  leader- 
ship of  Erasmus  "from  Louvain"  in  all  critical  work. 
It  was  he  who  had  brought  the  new  spirit  of  Renais- 
sance scholarship  to  the  realities  of  life,  especially  in 
connection  with  classical  authors,  the  Bible  and  the 
early  Fathers. 

Nicholas  Clenard,  a  Louvain  student,  entering  into 
the  new  enthusiasm  for  letters  and  the  new  inter- 
pretation of  life,  looked  forward  to  the  idea  of  a  pacific 
instead  of  a  military  crusade.  He  began  the  study 
of  Arabic  without  books,  working  his  way  to  Spain 
in  the  company  of  Ferdinand  Columbus  (son  of  the 
great  Christopher),  whose  aim  was  to  found  a  great 
Renaissance  library  at  Seville  and  who  was  enlisting 
paid    coadjutors.     Clenard    pursued    Arabic    studies 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  257 

at  Salamanca,  Evora  and  Braga,  and  taught  Latin 
by  the  direct  method.  He  even  purchased  three  slaves 
for  linguistic  experiments.  His  life  aim  was  to  es- 
tablish a  great  Oriental  college  at  Louvain,  in  which 
to  train  missionary  crusaders  for  the  Moslem  peoples. 

The  sixteenth  century  is  perhaps  the  most  brilliant 
epoch  in  the  history  of  Louvain.  The  Low  Countries 
were  united  and  the  political  strength  of  their  princes, 
without  intervening  in  the  exterior  affairs  of  the  Uni- 
versity, assured  it  a  considerable  prestige  abroad  and 
a  wide  circle  of  influence.  The  humanistic  movement 
sweeping  through  Europe  meant  a  striving  toward  a 
higher  type  of  culture.  The  ideas  of  the  middle  ages 
seemed  no  longer  to  satisfy  and  the  restless  spirits 
were  looking  about  for  new  intellectual  channels, 
which  they  believed  to  have  been  discovered  in  the 
thoughts  and  works  of  the  ancients.  The  study  of 
antiquity  became  then  the  road  by  which  they  hoped 
to  attain  to  a  superior  development,  to  a  culture 
humanior.  For  the  bad  Latin  of  the  middle  ages 
were  substituted  the  study  and  usage  of  the  pure 
Latin  of  the  best  Roman  writers.  There  was  also 
added  the  study  of  Greek  and  of  Hebrew,  which  was 
hardly  known  during  the  middle  ages. 

In  this  humanistic  movement  the  Faculty  of  Arts 
of  Louvain  University  took  a  leading  part.  The 
ideas  of  the  Renaissance  spread  throughout  the  Low 
Countries,  winch  at  that  time  were  among  the  richest 
and  most  advanced  in  Europe.  The  center  of  the 
movement  in  Louvain  was  the  chair  of  rhetoric  in 
the  Faculty  of  Arts  of  which  the  holder  bore  the  title 
Rhetor  publicus.  At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth 
century  it  was  occupied  by  Jean  du  Marais,  who 
called  himself  in  Latin,  Paludanus.     Latin  grammar 


258       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

was  studied  in  conjunction  with  rhetoric,  and  from 
Louvain  were  issued  the  Latin  manuals  by  Jean 
Custos  of  Brecht,  by  Clenard,  and  by  Despautere  of 
Diest. 

The  humanistic  movement  flourished  especially 
until  i575,  when  Ley  den  was  founded  and  divided 
the  scholarship  of  the  Low  Countries.  Douai  also 
drew  upon  Louvain,  which  until  ibjb  had  great  in- 
ternational influence,  for  the  University  had  not  only 
Erasmus,  Vives,  Clenard,  Rescius,  Justus  Lipsius, 
but  among  men  of  science  she  numbered  Vesalius, 
the  founder  of  modern  anatomy,  Dodonee,  the  physi- 
cian botanist,  and  Mercator,  the  geographer.  Surely 
these  names  would  add  luster  to  any  institution. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  the 
student  population  numbered  about  3, 000  distributed 
in  43  colleges.  The  system  of  colleges  within  the 
University  bore  a  resemblance  to  the  organization  of 
Oxford  and  Cambridge.  While  Louvain  did  not  have 
the  European  position  which  it  had  enjoyed  in  the 
previous  century,  it  was  still  quite  important.  The 
doctrines  of  Descartes  were  the  object  of  animated 
discussion,  but  the  University  as  a  whole  remained 
faithful  to  the  traditional  Aristotelianism.  In  the 
Faculty  of  Arts,  De  Nelis  was  formulating  a  philosophy 
somewhat  similar  to  that  of  Berkeley;  Minckelers 
was  carrying  on  important  research  work  in  physics; 
and  in  the  Faculty  of  Medicine  the  new  period  de- 
cidedly surpassed  the  preceding  era. 

The  continuity  of  University  life  at  Louvain  was 
broken  by  the  French  Revolution.  At  the  fall  of  the 
Empire  in  i8i4  there  were  hopes  of  restoring  the 
Alma  Mater,  but  the  Dutch  government  intervened, 
and   established   three  state  universities  in  Belgium 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  25g 

in  1816  —  one  at  Ghent,  another  at  Liege,  and  a  third 
at  Louvain. 

In  1 835  a  law  was  passed  organizing  higher  educa- 
tion according  to  the  spirit  of  the  constitution.  It 
established  two  state  universities,  leaving  open  the 
question  of  locality,  and  it  suppressed  the  faculties 
created  by  the  Dutch  state.  As  a  result,  a  university 
was  founded  at  Brussels  with  the  support  of  the  city; 
another  at  Malines  by  the  Bishops  of  Belgium. 

The  municipal  authorities  of  Louvain  had  looked 
after  the  empty  University  buildings  for  which  they 
had  no  use,  and  they  now  offered  them  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Malines.  The  offer  was  accepted  and  the 
new  University  installed  in  the  ancient  buildings  of 
the  old  Louvain  University  on  December  1,  i835. 

With  the  limited  space  at  our  command  it  is  impos- 
sible for  us  to  trace  step  by  step  the  rapid  growth 
of  the  restored  University  of  Louvain.  Briefly  stated 
it  was  for  eighty  years  under  the  direction  of  rectors 
who  developed  scientific  specialization.  The  Uni- 
versity could  not  legally  hold  any  funds.  It  never 
received  any  subsidy  from  the  State.  The  students, 
who  were  often  poor,  paid  only  small  fees,  the  total 
of  which  was  but  a  small  contribution  to  the  budget 
of  the  institution.  The  University  lived  almost  en- 
tirely upon  the  charity  of  the  Belgian  Catholics  and 
by  the  devotion  of  its  teachers. 

Instruction  never  absorbed  the  entire  attention  of  the 
teaching  force  at  Louvain.  Teaching  is  not  the  only 
function  of  a  University,  possibly  not  even  its  principal 
function.  The  true  university  is  a  City  of  Universal 
Knowledge.  It  labors  to  sustain  and  to  increase 
the  sum  of  human  knowledge.  Doubtless  it  com- 
municates  the    elements   of   knowledge    to   studious 


260       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

youth,  but  this  task  of  instruction  is  subordinated 
to  a  higher  work.  Before  communicating  the  riches 
of  knowledge  one  must  possess  them  —  and  knowledge 
is  not  a  thing  dead  and  fixed;  it  is  alive  and  exists 
only  in  a  changing,  evolving  and  constantly  progress- 
ing state.  One  gains  it  solely  by  working  tirelessly 
to  keep  it  alive  and  growing.  The  university  is  above 
all  a  center  of  scientific  fife,  of  research,  of  discussion. 
Teaching  is  but  the  echo  of  this  fife. 

This  conception  of  university  life  had  more  and  more 
penetrated  all  the  efforts  of  the  restored  University 
of  Louvain.  Perhaps  nowhere  else  were  work  and 
scientific  production  held  in  higher  regard.  The 
system  of  academic  grades  organized  by  the  Univer- 
sity, the  development  of  different  schools,  all  tended 
to  prepare  for  investigation  and  to  stimulate  research. 
More  than  thirty  scientific  reviews  were  published 
at  the  University,  and  the  contributions  were  largely 
from  members  of  the  faculty  and  advanced  students. 

In  answer  to  the  question,  Can  a  Catholic  univer- 
sity truly  participate  in  the  modern  scientific  fife? 
Professor  Noel1  points  to  Louvain  as  an  answer  in 
the  affirmative.  In  all  fields  research  has  been  carried 
on,  he  says,  with  the  most  perfect  technical  equipment, 
with  the  most  complete  breadth  of  view,  and  with  the 
fullest  liberty.  If  the  Louvain  investigators  have 
been  able  to  reconcile  their  scientific  research  with 
their  Catholic  faith  it  is  evidently  because  such  recon- 
ciliation requires  no  effort.  They  have  not  had  to 
sacrifice  their  freedom  of  research  to  their  faith,  nor 
their  convictions  to  these  researches.  "One  must 
have  lived  at  Louvain,"  says  Noel,  "to  appreciate 
fully  the  atmosphere  which  one  breathed  there,  the 

1  Leon  Noel,  "Louvain,"  Oxford,  Clarendon  Press,  1915. 


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THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  261 

large  and  generous  feeling  which  scientific  investi- 
gations give  to  religious  ideas,  and  also  to  habits  of 
devotion,  the  attitude  of  modesty  and  of  intellectual 
honesty  with  which  Christian  surroundings  can  in- 
spire scientific  workers.  In  the  light  of  this  experi- 
ence one  understands  what  science  as  well  as  faith 
have  lost  in  the  waning  of  the  religious  life  in  our 
modern  universities." 

THE   UNIVERSITY   LIRRARY 

The  University  was  for  more  than  two  centuries 
without  a  general  library.  The  humanist  Puteanus 
says  that  the  professors  were  themselves  living  libraries, 
and  that  the  books  which  they  wrote  were  worth  all 
the  riches  of  a  library.  Both  faculty  and  students 
frequented  the  bookshops  which  were  popular  resorts 
for  those  attached  to  the  numerous  Colleges  and  re- 
ligious establishments.  Jasper's  bookshop  was  the 
one  most  favored  by  the  students,  while  professors 
and  instructors  flocked  to  the  publishing  house  of 
Thierry  Martens,  of  whom  it  has  been  said  that  he 
was  to  Belgium  what  Aldus  Manutius  was  to  Venice. 
Interesting  talks  took  place  in  the  bookshops  of  Lou- 
vain,  says  one  writer.  The  Pare  Abbey  and  the  con- 
vents allowed  the  University  teachers  to  consult  their 
rich  collections. 

Later  the  Colleges  remedied  this  lack  of  books,  and 
many  of  them  built  up  their  own  libraries.  In  the 
minutes  of  the  University  faculty  we  find  some  details 
on  the  library  of  the  Arts  faculty.  Certain  rules 
date  back  to  i466.  For  example,  it  is  expressly  for- 
bidden to  enter  the  book  room  with  a  light,  or  to 
borrow  books  from  it. 

The  demand  for  a  large  central  or  public  library  was 


262       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

hardly  prevalent  at  Louvain  before  the  beginning  of  the 
17th  century,  though  the  prime  necessity  for  such  an 
adjunct  to  research  was  fully  appreciated.  As  far 
back  as  the  middle  ages  there  was  current  a  saying 
that  a  monastery  without  a  library  was  like  a  castle 
without  an  armory.  Thomas  a  Kempis  added  that 
it  was  like  a  table  without  dishes,  a  garden  without 
flowers,  a  purse  without  money. 

The  University  Library  owes  its  origin  to  a  former 
Louvain  student,   Laurent  Beyerlinck,   canon  of  the 
Cathedral  of  Antwerp.     In  1627  he  bequeathed  to  the 
University  his  own  library  of  852  volumes,  rich  in 
history  and  theology.     This  bequest  constituted  the 
first  foundation.     It  was  followed  by  a  legacy  of  906 
volumes    from    the    professor    of   medicine,    Jacques 
Romanus,  in  i635.    A  son  of  the  celebrated  mathe- 
matician, Romanus   transmitted   his   father's   library 
and  added  his  own  medical  books.    The  library  was  or- 
ganized by  the  University  rector,  Cornelius  Jansenius, 
and  in    i636  a   librarian  was  appointed  —  Professor 
Valerius    Andreas,    a    historian    of    note,    who    pre- 
sided at  the  public  opening  of  the  library  on  August 
22,  1 636.    The  books  were  installed  in  the  old  Cloth- 
makers'   Hall  in  the  auditorium  of  the  Faculty  of 
Medicine.    At  this  time  the  library  contained  about 
1700  volumes.    An  annual  grant  for  its  upkeep  and 
increase  was  made  by  Jacques  Boonen,  Archbishop 
of  Malines.     It  is  to  Andreas  that  we  owe  the  Fasti 
Academici,  the  most  complete  chronicle  of  the  history 
of  the  University.     Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  li- 
brary he  published  a  catalogue  of  the  volumes  be- 
queathed by  Beyerlinck  and  Romanus. 

Upon  the  occasion  of  the  appointment  of  Andreas 
as  the  first  librarian,  he  delivered  an  address  in  which 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  263 

he  spoke  of  the  precious  advantages  of  a  library, 
which  he  called  "The  Temple  of  Minerva  and  of  the 
Muses,  the  Arsenal  of  all  the  Sciences." 

After  the  death  of  Andreas  the  library  was  neglected 
until  the  beginning  of  the  18th  century.  A  former 
Louvain  professor,  Dominique  Snellaerts,  a  canon  of 
Antwerp,  had  a  fine  collection  of  35oo  volumes 
composed  almost  entirely  of  Jansenist  works.  In 
response  to  the  pressing  requests  of  the  librarian 
of  the  University  that  Snellaerts  should  give  them 
to  the  University,  the  owner  replied  that  he  did  not 
like  to  meet  books  with  his  name  at  the  door  or  in 
the  window  of  dealers.  He  said  that  he  had  often 
seen,  in  the  bookshops  of  Louvain  and  elsewhere, 
a  line  of  books  bearing  the  names  of  celebrated  men 
and  left  by  them  to  the  University.  Despite  this 
statement  Snellaerts  bequeathed  his  library  to  the 
University. 

This  generous  gift  necessitated  the  construction  of 
a  new  depository,  a  task  undertaken  by  the  Rector 
Rega,  a  man  of  great  initiative,  the  founder  of  the 
anatomical  museum.  Rega  succeeded  also  in  pro- 
curing for  the  library  a  fixed  income.  A  wing  was 
added  to  the  old  Halles,  in  the  direction  of  the  Vieux 
Marche,  and  completed  in  1780.  A  new  and  pro- 
gressive element  was  brought  in  by  the  administra- 
tion of  C.  F.  de  Nelis,  who  became  librarian  in  1752. 
His  first  act  was  to  ask  the  Government  to  require 
Belgian  printers  to  send  to  the  University  Library 
at  least  one  copy  of  every  book  printed  by  them. 
During  the  librarianship  of  Jean  Frangois  van  de 
Velde  (1771-97)  the  library  acquired  12,000  volumes. 
Most  of  these  books  were  bought  at  sales  of  the  libraries 
of  the  Jesuits,  after  the  suppression  of  the  society. 


264       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

They  included  a  special  collection  of  theses  of  great 
value  for  the  history  of  theological  doctrine.  But 
besides  these,  Van  de  Velde  added  4573  new  books. 
In  1795,  under  the  French  regime,  the  Commissioners 
of  the  Republic  took  away  about  5ooo  volumes, 
among  which  were  some  of  the  most  precious  manu- 
scripts. In  1797  De  la  Serna  Santander  was  authorized 
to  make  a  selection  of  all  the  works  which  in  his  opin- 
ion could  be  useful  to  the  Ecole  Centrale  established 
at  Brussels.  After  a  ten  days'  culling  the  French 
Commissioner  took  away  718  volumes  —  which  were 
never  returned.  By  an  Imperial  Decree  of  Napoleon, 
dated  December  12,  i8o5,  the  University  Library 
became  the  property  of  the  city.  However,  in  i835, 
at  the  time  of  the  re-establishment  of  the  University 
at  Louvain,  the  municipal  authorities  handed  over 
the  precious  depository  to  the  care  of  the  University. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  estimate  the  number  of  volumes 
which  the  library  contained  at  the  time  of  the  fire. 
"Minerva,"  and  Collard  in  his  "Annuaire  des  Biblio- 
theques  de  Belgique,"  give  the  number  as  23o,ooo, 
an  estimate  rather  below  the  real  number  of  books. 
The  catalogue  was  being  revised  under  the  super- 
vision of  Professor  Delannoy,  the  librarian,  who 
estimated  the  total  number  of  books  as  somewhere 
between  25o,ooo  and  3oo,ooo  volumes.  In  making 
a  systematic  inventory  of  the  theological  section, 
there  were  discovered,  almost  daily,  unknown  treasures 
which  for  two  centuries  had  slept  beneath  a  cover 
of  dust.  The  early  publications  of  the  first  reformers, 
and  the  politico-religious  pamphlets,  were  particularly 
numerous.  Little  by  little  all  the  literature  of  the 
religious  struggles  of  the  Low  Countries  was  coming 
to  light.    The  University  had  taken  an  active  part 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  265 

in  all  these  disputes,  and  pious  hands  had  collected 
into  volumes  the  letters  and  pamphlets  touching  on 
these  discussions.  Most  of  these  volumes  contained 
more  than  a  hundred  items  each.  On  the  backs  of  the 
parchment  bindings  were  such  inscriptions  as  "Varia 
reformatoria,"  or  "Janseniana,"  or  "Jesuitica." 

The  library  possessed  also  a  magnificent  collection 
of  more  than  35o  incunabula,  and  a  precious  series 
of  successive  editions  of  the  Bible.  Almost  equally 
precious  was  a  unique  collection  of  Jesuitica,  relating 
not  only  to  the  Jesuits  of  the  Low  Countries,  but  also 
to  those  in  different  parts  of  Europe.  These  came 
from  the  purchases  made  at  the  end  of  the  18th  cen- 
tury, and  had  been  carefully  catalogued.  There 
was  also  an  unrivaled  collection  of  publications 
relating  to  the  Jansenists.  The  role  played  by  the 
University  in  the  history  of  Jansenism,  together  with 
Snellaerts's  legacy,  explain  sufficiently  both  the  im- 
portance and  the  completeness  of  this  collection.  In 
addition  there  had  been  recently  unearthed  a  collection 
of  political  pamphlets  of  the  time  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War  and  of  the  French  invasion  of  Belgium  in  the 
time  of  Louis  XIV.  Professor  van  der  Essen  is  con- 
vinced that  there  were  in  the  library  several  unique 
copies  of  the  polemical  writings  of  the  17th  century, 
and  particularly  of  treatises  of  the  class  to  which 
the  "Mars  Gallicus"  of  Jansenius  belongs. 

It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  all  the  bibliographical 
rarities  and  typographical  curiosities  in  which  every 
repository  of  ancient  books  justly  takes  pride;  mention 
may,  however,  be  made  of  a  collection  of  old  atlases, 
a  rich  oriental  library  containing  the  works  of  Felix 
Neve,  and  a  collection  of  Germanic  philology  formerly 
belonging  to  the  late  Professor  Alberdink  Thym. 


266       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

The  manuscript  section  of  the  library  contained 
more  than  g5o  pieces.  Among  these  treasures  were 
included  several  manuscripts  of  the  12th  century, 
showing  typical  examples  of  the  post-Carolingian 
writing,  Lives  of  the  Saints  (the  best  of  which  was 
fortunately  published),  psalters,  books  of  hours,  and 
liturgical  manuals  of  the  i3th,  i^th,  and  i5th  centuries. 
Several  codices  contained  magnificent  illuminations 
and  full-page  miniatures.  Perhaps  the  most  im- 
portant section  of  the  manuscripts  was  a  part  of  the 
older  archives  of  the  University.  As  far  back  as  i445 
the  University  took  adequate  measures  for  the  preser- 
vation of  its  archives:  a  fine  was  imposed  on  those 
who  retained  in  their  possession  letters  addressed  to 
the  Studium.  To  be  able  to  consult  these  documents 
a  special  permission  from  the  proper  authority  as  well 
as  delegated  witnesses  was  necessary.  In  the  second 
half  of  the  18th  century  the  documents  concerning 
the  Alma  Mater  were  numerous  and  were  preserved 
with  care  in  the  University  halls.  Carefully  prepared 
catalogues  of  them  have  come  down  to  us  in  part. 

The  archives  had  been  preserved  at  Louvain  when 
in  179/i,  before  the  invasion  of  the  French  army,  fifteen 
boxes  of  documents  were  sent  to  Rotterdam.  Upon 
the  success  of  the  French  forces  it  was  thought  that 
Rotterdam  was  hardly  a  safe  depository,  and  they 
were  consequently  sent  by  Groningen,  Rremen  and 
Hamburg  to  Altona,  whither  seven  other  cases  were 
sent  direct  from  Louvain.  The  victorious  French 
demanded  the  archives,  the  greater  part  of  which  were 
delivered  to  them,  and  are  still  to  be  found  in  the 
General  Archives  at  Brussels.  Some  of  the  cases  were 
stranded  in  Holland,  where  some  documents  are  still 
preserved  at  the  Seminary  of  Haaren;  others  were  re- 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  267 

tained  at  Beveren-Waes  by  the  librarian  Van  de  Velde. 
At  his  death,  his  rich  library  containing  manuscripts 
of  the  professors,  was  dispersed  to  the  highest  bidders, 
but  the  pieces  belonging  to  the  archives  of  the  Uni- 
versity were  left  at  Ghent,  where  they  are  preserved 
at  the  Seminary.  Some  documents  from  the  archives, 
carefully  hidden  in  179A,  are  still  preserved  here  and 
there;  some  are  even  in  private  collections.  When 
shortly  before  the  war  it  was  necessary  to  take  down 
all  the  old  books  which  had  long  lain  under  a  thick 
coat  of  dust,  there  were  found  bundles  of  old  papers 
in  an  out-of-the-way  corner  of  the  Halles,  —  among 
others  the  journal  of  Van  de  Velde  touching  on  the 
events  in  which  he  had  taken  part  during  the  revolu- 
tionary crisis.  The  occupation  of  the  Colleges  by 
the  French  troops  was  minutely  described.  Van  de 
Velde,  escaping  across  the  fields,  had  been  seized  by  the 
soldiers,  then  released  after  Ins  purse  had  been  relieved 
of  the  little  money  it  contained.  In  a  concealed 
envelope  was  found  the  decree  suppressing  the  Uni- 
versity, with  a  note  on  the  envelope  from  Van  de 
Velde  regarding  the  importance  of  the  contents. 

All  visitors  to  the  old  library  will  recall  the  famous 
autograph  manuscript  of  Thomas  a  Kempis,  and  the 
vellum  copy  of  the  famous  work  of  Vesalius,  De  Hu- 
mani  Corporis  Fabrica  which  was  presented  to  the 
library  by  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  In  1909,  when  the 
University  celebrated  the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of 
its  reorganization,  the  Bishop  of  Bois-le-Duc  returned 
to  the  University  the  original  papal  bull  relating  to 
its  foundation.  It  had  been  in  the  possession  of  the 
Seminary  at  Haaren  (Northern  Brabant)  from  the 
time  of  Napoleon.  Among  the  other  irreparable 
losses  mention  may  be  made  of  Cornelius   Nepos' 


268       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

"Codex  Parcensis"  of  the  fifteenth  century;  a  twelfth 
century  manuscript  of  the  works  of  Renier  of  Liege 
and  two  brilliantly  illumined  manuscripts  by  Denys 
le  Chartreux,  containing  his  commentaries  on  Jere- 
miah and  Ezekiel. 

In  the  beautiful  room  reserved  for  historical  books 
were  various  cabinets  filled  with  curiosa  —  rarities 
and  souvenirs  of  the  University.  There  was  a  large 
numismatic  collection  and  a  collection  of  signatures 
of  famous  visitors,  a  large  representation  of  old  leather 
bindings,  some  maps  of  the  world  and  geographical 
globes  of  the  time  of  Mercator,  and  a  copy  of  the  re- 
production of  the  famous  Grimani  Breviary. 

"Since  the  restoration  of  the  University  in  i83/i," 
says  the  Librarian,  Professor  Delannoy,  "the  various 
possessions  of  the  Library  had  increased  so  consider- 
ably that  the  academical  authorities  were  obliged 
two  years  ago  to  place  at  our  disposal  extensive 
premises  over  the  large  library,  and  we  had  just 
installed  therein  a  magnificent  and  immense  metal 
bookcase  with  movable  shelves.  The  supreme  irony 
of  it!  The  contract  for  the  bookcase  had  been  carried 
out  by  Germans,  and  they  had  just  completed  its 
installation  for  us!  It  had  taken  months  to  remove 
all  the  old  books,  which  had  been  lying  under  the 
dust  of  centuries.  This  patient  and  laborious  work 
brought  to  light  in  the  most  forsaken  and  obscure 
corners  of  the  University  buildings  surprises  and  dis- 
coveries of  the  greatest  importance."  1 

1  Nineteenth  Century,  May,  iqi5,  p.  io65. 


Courtrsv  of  John  Lane  Co. 

85.   PEN  AND  INK  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF   LOUVAIN 

Drawn  on  the  spot  by  Louis  Berden 


(J 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  269 

DESTRUCTION   OF   THE   LIRRARY 

In  regard  to  the  destruction  of  the  Library,  Pro- 
fessor Delannoy  says:  "It  is  now  acknowledged  by 
all  right-minded  men  who  are  not  prejudiced  and 
do  not  refuse  to  seek  and  admit  the  truth  (1)  that 
the  fire  in  the  Library  of  the  University  broke  out 
suddenly  after  eight  days'  peaceful  occupation  of 
the  town  by  the  German  troops;  (2)  that  the  fire 
broke  out  during  the  night  of  the  25th  of  August, 
when  all  the  Library  premises  were  closed  and  the 
residents  were  forbidden  to  leave  their  houses  after 
seven  o'clock  in  the  evening;  (3)  that  that  night 
of  the  25th  of  August  was  unquestionably  the  first 
night  of  fire,  pillage  and  massacre.  We  know  the 
unhappy  fate  of  the  unfortunate  people  who  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  drunken  soldiers  that  night  — 
as  also  during  the  days  and  nights  that  followed. 
I  saw  the  ruins  of  the  Library  again  eight  days  after 
the  fire,  and  even  then  I  was  only  able  to  look  at  them 
from  a  distance  and  at  considerable  risk.  Broken 
pillars,  an  impassable  heap  of  bricks,  stones  and 
beams  smoldered  in  the  fire  which  slowly  consumed 
thousands  of  volumes  between  huge  portions  of  dan- 
gerous and  threatening  walls:  that  was  all  that  remain 
of  the  majestic  building  known  as  the  Halles  Uni- 
versitaires  and  of  the  rich  treasure  it  contained.  In 
the  streets  of  the  ruined  and  deserted  city,  where 
the  soldiers  were  completing  their  work  of  pillage, 
and  further  on  even  into  the  country,  leaves  of  manu- 
scripts and  books  fluttered  about,  half  burned,  at  the 
mercy  of  the  wind." 

"Do   you   believe    the    treasures   of   the    Louvain 
Library  are  burnt?"  asked  M.   E.   Durham  in  the 


270       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Times  of  November  [\,  1915,  writing  from  France. 
"We  do  not,"  said  he,  in  answer  to  his  own  question. 
"Vanloads  of  stuff  left  the  place  before  the  fire." 
In  the  November  18th  issue  of  the  same  paper,  Pro- 
fessor Leon  van  der  Essen,  writing  from  Oxford, 
contradicted  Mr.  Durham's  statement,  having  re- 
cently seen  the  Librarian,  Professor  Delannoy,  who 
went  to  the  spot  on  August  27,  191/i,  to  see  whether 
anything  could  perhaps  be  saved.  "He  spoke  with 
one  of  the  officers  of  the  library  who  was  present  at 
the  fire  but  who  was  prevented  from  doing  anything 
in  order  to  save  the  books  and  manuscripts,"  wrote 
Professor  van  der  Essen.  "During  the  fire  the  doors 
of  the  library  remained  locked,  as  they  had  been 
since  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  The  Germans  did  not 
penetrate  the  building,  but  contented  themselves  with 
smashing  the  main  window  looking  on  the  Vieux 
Marche.  Through  that  window  they  introduced  some 
inflammable  liquid  and  fired  a  few  shots,  causing  an 
immediate  explosion.  In  such  a  way,  by  the  use  of 
chemicals,  may  be  explained  the  fact  that  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th  the  whole  library  was  already 
destroyed,  a  thing  which  would  have  been  impossible 
in  the  case  of  the  building  being  accidentally  set  on 
fire  by  the  neighboring  houses.  No  soldier  entered 
the  library  during  the  fire  and  no  book  and  no  manu- 
script was  taken  away. 

"The  story  that  books  were  removed  from  the 
University  Library  originated  in  the  following  manner : 
Quite  near  to  the  University  Library  was  located  a 
library  directed  by  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  called  the 
Biblioiheque  Choisie.  Here  the  books  were  removed 
in  carts  and  conveyed  to  the  station.  The  citizens 
of  Louvain,   on  seeing  these  books  go  through  the 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  271 

streets,  imagined  they  were  the  books  of  the  Uni- 
versity Library.  On  the  night  of  Tuesday,  the  25th, 
a  father  of  the  Josephite  College,  which  is  located  a 
few  yards  from  the  spot  where  the  Germans  smashed 
the  main  window,  called  the  attention  of  the  com- 
manding officer  to  the  fact  that  the  building  he  was 
going  to  destroy  was  the  University  Library.  The 
officer  replied,  textually,  'Es  ist  Befehl!'  It  was 
then  11  p.m.     These  are  the  facts." 

M.  Henri  Davignon,  Secretary  of  the  Belgian 
Commission  of  Inquiry,  published  in  the  Times  for 
October  19,  1916,  a  letter  setting  forth  some  of  the 
facts  relating  to  the  destruction  of  the  town  of  Louvain. 
These  facts  have  been  established  by  Belgian  and 
neutral  witnesses,  and  even  by  Germans  themselves 
in  a  manner  which  M.  Davignon  thinks  would  prove 
convincing  to  any  court  of  inquiry. 

(1)  On  the  evening  of  August  25,  1914,  several 
parts  of  the  town  were  set  on  fire  at  a  given  signal. 

(2)  This  act  was  committed  by  German  soldiers 
(under  the  orders  of  their  officers)  who  had  been 
provided  with  the  means  for  its  thorough  accom- 
plishment. 

(3)  The  Church  of  St.  Pierre  was  set  on  fire  from 
the  roof,  which  is  much  higher  than  the  buildings 
surrounding  it,  and  in  the  interior  by  means  of  piles 
of  chairs. 

(4)  The  "Halles"  and  the  University  Library  took 
fire  and  burned  without  any  attempt  being  made  to 
save  them.    No  books  could  have  been  saved. 

(5)  The  Town  Hall  was  spared  because  the  German 
military  authorities  were  quartered  there. 

(6)  The  fire  thus  started  destroyed  11 20  houses. 
It  continued  for  three  days,  and  no  efforts  to  check 


272       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

it  were  made  —  indeed,  the  German  officers  forbade 
any  such  attempt.  In  the  square  in  front  of  the 
station  several  residents  of  the  town  were  shot;  many 
escaped  by  the  Tirlemont,  Malines  and  Brussels 
roads;  and  many  more  were  taken  prisoners  to 
Germany. 

Dr.  L.  H.  Grondys,  formerly  Professor  of  Physics 
at  the  Technical  Institute  of  Dordrecht,  in  his  little 
book  "The  Germans  in  Belgium;  Experiences  of  a 
Neutral"  (London,  Heinemann),  records  under  August 
26,  the  following:  "The  Monastery  at  Pare  was  full 
of  refugees,  the  brethren  told  me  they  had  been  present 
at  the  fire  throughout  the  night.  At  two  o'clock  they 
noticed  a  recrudescence  of  the  flames;  brilliant  sparks 
flew  up  in  an  immense  column  of  fire.  It  was  the 
incunabula,  the  precious  Livres  d'Heures,  the  rare 
manuscripts  of  the  early  middle  ages,  just  discovered, 
which  were  burning.  Thus  the  Monastery  knew 
before  the  town  that  the  incomparable  library,  the 
glory  and  pride  of  numerous  generations,  was  lost 
for  ever.  In  several  periodicals  it  has  been  sug- 
gested that  the  Germans  at  Louvain  wished  simply 
to  rob  the  library.  The  supposition  seems  to  me  to 
be  ill-founded.  The  library  was  set  on  fire  at  one 
or  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  garrison  was  in 
a  state  of  disorder  and  a  prey  to  the  gravest  anxiety, 
expecting  an  attack  from  the  Belgians.  It  is  incredible 
that  they  should  have  proposed  to  carry  off  a  library 
of  more  than  3oo,ooo  volumes  within  four  hours! 
Any  one  who  has  the  least  idea  of  what  a  University 
Library  like  that  of  Louvain  is,  will  understand  my 
skepticism." 

Professor  Grondys  tells  of  the  arrest  and  searching 
of  the  priests  who  were  fleeing  from  Louvain  in  the 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  273 

direction  of  Brussels.  ' '  Nothing  suspicious  was  found, ' ' 
says  he,  "except  on  one  of  the  younger  Jesuits,  Pere 
Dupierreux,  who  had  a  little  note-book,  bearing  the 
following  remark,  in  French:  'When  formerly  I  read 
that  the  Huns  under  Attila  had  devasted  towns,  and 
that  the  Arabs  had  burnt  the  Library  of  Alexandria, 
I  smiled.  Now  that  I  have  seen  with  my  own  eyes 
the  hordes  of  to-day,  burning  churches  and  the  cele- 
brated Library  of  Louvain,  I  smile  no  longer.'" 

Professor  van  der  Essen  saved  by  chance  the  manu- 
script No.  906,  which  contains  the  official  correspon- 
dence of  the  University  from  i583  to  about  1637. 

"There  is  nothing  dramatic,"  he  said,  "about  the 
way  in  which  I  saved  the  unique  manuscript  from  our 
library.  I  personally  was  not  in  Louvain  when  the 
town  was  burned.  I  had  left  it  six  days  before  its 
destruction.  But  I  was  there  all  the  time  from  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  until  the  entry  of  the  German 
troops.  I  had  served  as  civic  guard  since  July  3i. 
The  civic  guard  are  not  ' franc- tireurs '  (snipers), 
of  course,  but  wear  a  military  uniform,  are  armed  with 
the  Mauser  rifle,  and  are  commanded  by  regular 
officers  appointed  by  the  King.  In  America  you 
would  call  them  militia.  Louvain,  as  an  open  town, 
was  not  to  be  defended.  So  we  men  of  the  civic 
guard  were  all  disarmed  on  the  morning  of  August  19, 
at  a  quarter  to  6  o'clock.  Our  arms  were  sent  by 
train  to  the  fortress  at  Antwerp,  upon  which  the 
Belgian  army  was  faffing  back.  We  remained  un- 
armed at  the  station  until  8  o'clock.  We  assisted, 
full  of  despair,  at  the  departure  of  the  Belgian  head- 
quarters. I  had  three  quarters  of  an  hour  to  go  to 
my  home,  awaken  my  family,  and  get  together  some 
clothing  for  my  two  babies,  one  of  them  only  fifteen 


274       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

days  old,  being  born  the  very  day  of  the  declaration  of 
war  on  Belgium.  In  great  haste  I  gathered  together 
some  papers,  among  which  was  the  manuscript  from 
the  University  of  Louvain  Library,  which  I  had  had 
at  my  home  for  consultation.  I  preferred  to  save 
this  before  all  else  in  the  way  of  personal  property, 
and  left  all  my  belongings  behind.  Fearing  that  the 
precious  manuscript  might  be  lost  during  our  exile, 
on  our  trip  through  Belgium  to  England  I  stopped 

at  the  little  town  of ,  near  Ghent,  and  in  the 

garden  of  a  house  there  I  buried  it,  enclosed  in  a  little 
iron  safe.  It  is  still  there,  and  I  hope  I  shall  take 
it  out  of  its  place  of  safety  when  we  shall  have  the 
pleasure  of  returning  after  Belgium's  evacuation."  * 


RECONSTRUCTION   OF   THE   LIRRARY 

The  University  of  Louvain  has  always  been  poor. 
There  were  never  any  state  subsidies,  yet  by  remark- 
able efforts  of  charity,  devotion  and  loyalty,  it  was 
able  to  maintain  an  honored  place  among  the  great 
modern  universities.  There  is  danger  that  it  will  be 
poorer  than  ever  before.  It  is  hoped  that  a  wide- 
spread generosity  and  sympathy  will  see  to  it  that 
the  irreparable  loss  will  to  a  certain  extent  be  made 
good,  that  the  institution  will  once  more  be  adequately 
equipped  and  housed.  In  the  work  of  reconstruction 
no  help  will  be  unwelcomed,  no  gift,  however  modest, 
uncherished. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Council  of  Governors  of  the 
John  Rylands  Library,  held  in  December,  191/I, 
it  was  resolved  to  give  some  practical  expression  of 

1  Reported  by  George  H.  Sargent  in  the  Boston  Transcript,  July  10, 
iqi5.    Summarized  in  the  Literary  Digest,  August  7,  igi5,  pp.  25o-a5i. 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  275 

the  deep  feeling  of  sympathy  with  the  authorities 
of  the  Unversity  of  Louvain  in  the  calamity  which 
they  had  suffered  through  the  destruction  of  their 
buildings  and  their  famous  library  of  over  a  quarter 
of  a  million  volumes.  It  was  decided  that  this  ex- 
pression of  sympathy  should  take  the  form  of  a  gift 
of  books:  a  set  of  the  publications  of  the  John  Ry lands 
Library  and  a  selection  from  their  stock  of  duplicates. 
A  list  of  upwards  of  two  hundred  volumes  was  pre- 
pared and  sent  with  the  offer  of  help  to  the  Louvain 
authorities,  through  the  medium  of  Professor  A. 
Carnoy,  then  residing  in  Cambridge.  In  his  grate- 
ful acknowledgment  of  the  gift,  Professor  Carnoy 
said  that  this  was  "one  of  the  very  first  acts  which 
tends  to  the  preparation  of  our  revival." 

The  University  of  Louvain  being  dismembered  and 
without  a  home,  the  John  Rylands  Library  under- 
took to  house  the  volumes  which  were  to  form  the 
nucleus  of  the  new  library  until  new  quarters  should 
be  erected  in  Louvain.  An  appeal  for  the  coopera- 
tion of  other  libraries,  institutions  and  private  in- 
dividuals, was  printed  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  John 
Rylands  Library.  Thanks  to  the  spreading  of  the 
appeal  by  means  of  the  press,  it  met  with  an  immediate 
and  generous  response  from  many  parts  of  the  world. 
The  National  Library  of  Wales  and  the  Lisbon  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  were  among  the  earliest  institutions 
to  cooperate  by  sending  their  own  publications, 
and  offering  to  send  any  books  that  might  be  entrusted 
to  them.  The  University  of  Aberdeen,  as  a  first 
instalment,  offered  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
their  duplicates.  The  Committee  of  the  Liverpool 
University  Press  promised  a  set  of  their  publications. 
The   University   of  Durham   allowed   a   selection  to 


276       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

be  made  from  their  duplicates,  and  thus  some  hundreds 
of  volumes  were  acquired  which  would  be  difficult 
to  get  in  any  other  way.  The  University  of  Man- 
chester is  giving  a  set  of  the  publications  of  its  Uni- 
versity Press,  together  with  a  considerable  number 
of  duplicates  from  the  Christie  Library.  The  Classical 
Association  has  decided  to  assist  in  the  reconstruction 
of  the  classical  side. 

Professor  van  der  Essen,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Henry 
Guppy,  Librarian  of  the  John  Rylands  Library,  said: 
"Writing  as  a  Professor  of  the  University  of  Louvain 
let  me  thank  you  for  all  that  you  have  done  for  it 
since  the  crime  of  Louvain.  It  is  such  a  wonderful 
thing  in  this  time  of  horror  to  see  how  the  scholars 
of  all  the  countries  —  the  Central  Empires  excepted, 
alas!  —  have  manifested  their  friendship  and  proved 
to  us  by  so  many  deeds  and  words  that  scientific 
international  solidarity  is  still  alive.  Especially  has 
England  done  splendid  work,  and  among  that  work 
I  rank  your  .  .  .  initative  as  one  of  the  most,  if 
not  the  most  effective.  I  had,  indeed,  opportunity 
in  America  to  see  what  your  appeal  was  bringing 
forth,  and  how  by  your  kind  intermediary  practical 
help  was  being  prepared.  It  is  noble  work  that  you 
are  doing,  work  that  will  have  a  fine  result,  and  I  can 
assure  you  that  never  will  the  University  of  Louvain 
forget  that  the  appeal  went  out  from  Manchester.  .  .  . 
I  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  to  come  .  .  .  and  to 
witness  the  birth  of  our  poor  library,  on  the  very  soil 
of  your  splendid  and  glorious  country.  ...  It 
is  a  fact  full  of  consequence  that  what  has  been  de- 
stroyed will  have  to  be  restored  by  the  kind  inter- 
mediary of  one  of  the  celebrated  centers  of  English 
culture." 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  277 

The  Belgian  Minister  of  Justice  and  Count  Goblet 
d'Alviella  went  to  Manchester  to  speak  a  few  words 
of  comfort  and  cheer  to  the  large  number  of  Belgian 
refugees  who  had  found  a  temporary  home  in  that 
city.  They  visited  the  John  Rylands  Library,  and 
were  much  surprised  to  find  there  the  beginnings  of  a 
new  library  for  the  University  of  Louvain. 

A  committee  was  formed  under  the  leadership  of 
Viscount  Bryce,  as  President  of  the  British  Academy, 
to  cooperate  with  the  Institut  de  France  in  the  for- 
mation of  an  International  Committee  which  should 
have  for  its  aim  the  restoration  of  the  University  of 
Louvain  and  its  library.  Learned  societies  and  the 
principal  libraries  throughout  the  country  were  in- 
vited to  appoint  delegates  to  assist  in  the  realization 
of  this  object.  Sir  Alfred  Hopkinson  and  Mr.  Guppy 
were  appointed  to  represent  the  John  Rylands  Library, 
with  which  there  is  complete  cooperation.  A  small 
executive  committee,  with  Lord  Muir  Mackenzie 
as  chairman,  was  formed  to  work  in  connection  with 
the  French  committee. 

In  the  Times  of  October  3,  1916,  Lord  Muir  Mac- 
kenzie announced  that  the  Executive  Committee 
thought  that  it  was  time  to  take  steps  to  obtain  con- 
tributions, either  independently  or  in  cooperation 
with  similar  committees  in  France  and  elsewhere. 
He  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  experience  of  the 
John  Rylands  Library  proved  that  many  people  were 
both  able  and  willing  to  come  forward  with  books 
and  other  help.  Communications  from  sympathizers 
were  therefore  invited,  and  in  particular  it  was  sug- 
gested that  lists  or  descriptions  of  books  which  persons 
desirous  of  aiding  in  the  work  were  willing  to  give 
might  be  sent  to  the  Committee.    It  was  stated  that 


278       WAR    LIBRARIES    AND    ALLIED    STUDIES 

Mr.  Hugh  Butler,  Librarian  of  the  House  of  Lords, 
acting  as  Secretary  of  the  Committee,  would  be  glad 
to  correspond  with  any  one  as  to  the  classes  of  books 
likely  to  be  acceptable  to  Louvain,  as  well  as  to  give 
any  further  information  that  might  be  desired.  Some 
preliminary  expenses  had  to  be  met  and  donations 
not  exceeding  two  guineas  from  each  donor  were 
solicited. 

On  December  8,  1916,  it  was  announced  that  the 
scheme  had  led  to  the  accumulation  of  upwards  of 
8000  volumes.  Institutions  have  made  liberal  do- 
nations of  suitable  works  from  their  stores  of  duplicates 
and  many  book  collectors  have  given  volumes  of 
great  interest,  sometimes  of  great  rarity.  The  list 
of  donors  includes  the  names  of  struggling  students 
and  working  men  who  have  parted  with  treasured 
possessions  acquired  through  the  exercise  of  economy 
and  self-denial.  While  these  gifts  constitute  an  ex- 
cellent nucleus  for  the  new  library,  much  remains  to 
be  done  before  the  work  of  replacement  is  anything 
like  completed.  A  mere  beginning  has  been  made. 
There  should  be  a  coordination  of  the  efforts  which 
are  being  put  forth  in  several  directions. 

It  is  sincerely  hoped  that  the  important  publica- 
tions of  the  United  States  Government,  as  well  as 
those  issued  by  our  learned  societies,  especially  in 
the  domain  of  history,  will  be  added  to  the  new  uni- 
versity library.  While  no  number  of  such  gifts  would 
"restore"  the  Louvain  Library,  yet  if  the  American 
universities  and  institutions  do  their  share  a  sub- 
stantial foundation  can  be  laid  for  a  new  working 
collection. 


THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    LOUVAIN  279 

LOUVAIN 

Bleeding  and  torn,  ravished  with  sword  and  flame, 
By  that  blasphemer  Prince,  who  with  the  name 
Of  God  upon  his  lips  betrayed  the  state 
He  falsely  swore  to  hold  inviolate. 
Made  mad  by  Pride  and  reckless  of  the  rod, 
Shaking  his  mailed  fist  in  the  face  of  God, 
But  not  in  vain  her  martyrdom.     Louvain, 
Like  the  brave  maid  of  France,  shall  rise  again; 
Above  her  clotted  hair  a  crown  shall  shine, 
From  her  dark  ashes  rise  a  hallowed  shrine 
Where  pilgrims  from  far  lands  shall  heal  their  pain, 
Shrived  by  the  sacred  sorrow  of  Louvain. 

From  "For  France,"  by  Oliver  Herford 


INDEX 


Adcock,  A.  St.  John,  on  Y.  M. 

C.  A.  libraries,  ioo-io3 
Aix-les-Bains,  Casino  at,  65 
American  Bible  Society,  work  for 

the  soldiers  and  sailors,  192-194 
American    Expeditionary    Force, 

books  for,  53 
American      Library     Association 

War  Service,  1-7 1 
American    magazines    and    news- 
papers, 54-56 
American     sailors     in     England, 

illus.  27 
American  University  Union,  Paris, 

illus.  21 
Americanization  of  foreign  born, 

34-35 
Anstruther,    Hon.   Mrs.   Eva,  85 
"Arkansas,"  illus.  16 
Austin,    J.    L.,   experiences   as   a 

prisoner  of  war,  i54 

Barracks,  reading  in,  illus.  63 

Battersea,  Lady,  loan  of  Surrey 
House  for  War  Library,  75 

Bell,  Major-General,  on  singing 
soldiers,  210 

Berlin,  (Ruhleben)  prison  camp, 
io5,  107-109,  n3-n4,  i49 

Berliner  Tageblall  read  by  pris- 
oners of  war,  1 1 4,  1 55 

Beyerlinck,  Laurent,  262 

Bible  in  the  trenches,  77,  191-200 

Blinded  soldiers,  201-209 

Books  and  morals,  67-71 


Books  for  blinded  soldiers,  201- 

209 
Boston     Public     Library,     books 

being  prepared  for  war  service, 

illus.  20 
Braille  books  and  magazines  for 

blinded  soldiers,  202-209 
Brainerd,  Eveline  W.,  60-61 
Bramshott  Hospital,  i37 
Brassey,    Lady,    on    libraries    in 

military  hospitals,  129-1 3 1 
Brieux,    Eugene,    68;    letters    to 

blinded  soldiers,  209 
British    Admiralty,    request    for 

books,  75 
British  Army  post,  book  line  at, 

illus.  34 
British    Camps   Library,  for   the 

men  in  the  field,  85-93 
British    Censorship    and    Enemy 

Publications,  229-252 
British  military  hospital  libraries, 

n6-i38 
British  National  Institute  for  the 

Blind,  202 
British  Navy,  75,  77,  i48 
British  prisoners  of  war,  i54-i59 
British  Prisoners  of   War    Book 

Scheme  (Educational),  io5-n5, 

1 49 
British  Red  Cross  and  Order  of  St. 

John,  78,  i36 
British  War  Library,  for  the  sick 

and  wounded,  75-84,  i3o,  i36, 

illus.  29,  3o 


a8i 


282 


INDEX 


British  Y.  M.  C.  A.  libraries,  g4- 

io4 
Brooke,  Rupert,  189,  221 
Browning,   Robert,   53,    io2-io3, 

175 
Bryan,  William  Jennings,  248 
Bryce,  Lord,  277 
Burleson  magazines,  17-20 
Bury,  Bishop,  on  Ruhleben  camp, 

n3 
Butler,  Nicholas  Murray,  34 

Camps  and  Cantonments: 
Beauregard,  17,  21,  32 
Bowie,  18 
Custer,  i5,  4i 
Devens,  12,  i3, 19, 23,  25, 35, 37, 

180-181,  illus.  8,  54 
Dix,  illus.  57 
Dodge,  10 
Fort  Benjamin  Harrison,  illus. 

77 
Fort  Myer,  illus.  i3 

Funston,  17 

Gordon,  4o 

Greene,  3g,  44 

Hancock,  4o 

Kearny,  illus.  5o,  61 

Kelly,  illus.  72 

Lee,  19,  3o,  39 

Lewis,  illus.  5 

Logan,  23 

MacArthur,  38,  4i,  i47 

McClellan,  illus.  4g,  53 

Meade,  16,  38 

Perry,  illus.  3,  4 

Pike,  44 

Sheridan,  illus.  2 

Sherman,  9-10,  11,  12,  24 

Upton,  23,  26,  i43,  i46,  illus.  9, 

62 
Zachary  Taylor,  i4,  21 
Camps    Library,   British,    85-93, 

illus.  33 


Canadian  Khaki  College,  45-46 
Canadian        military       hospitals 

(Montreal),  i4i-i42 
Carey,  Miss  Miriam,  i3g 
Carnegie     Corporation,     gift     of 

camp  library  buildings,  8 
Cecil,    Lord   Robert,   on   British 

censorship,  23i-236 
Censorship,    British,    and   enemy 

publications,  229-252 
Chamberlain,    Houston    Stewart, 

247-248 
Chapin,  Harold,  letters,  175 
Chapman,  Victor,  letters,  167-168 
Civil  War,  American,  3-5 
Clarke,  Kenneth,  song  leader,  216 
Class   in    English,    illus.    i4;    in 

Geography  and  History,  illus.  i5 
Clenard,  Nicholas,  256 
Close,   Percy  L.,  on  reading  for 

prisoners  of  war,  i5g 
Cohen,    Israel,    "The    Ruhleben 

Prison  Camp,"  108,  n4,  i57 
Colored  stevedores  in  France,  69- 

7i 
Continental     Times,     distributed 

among  prisoners  of  war,   i56- 

i58;    as  German   propaganda, 

245 
Con  well,  Russell  H.,  5 
Corelli,  Marie,  90,  i36 
Crawford,  F.  Marion,  i44 

Da  vies,  Sir  Alfred  T.,  organizer 
of  British  Prisoners  of  War 
Book  Scheme  (Educational), 
io5-iio 

Davies,  Paul  Hyde,  operatic 
singer,  illus.  77 

Davignon,  Henri,  on  the  Louvain 
University  Library,  271 

Dawson,  Lieut.  Coningsby, 
"Carry  On,"  220-221 

Delannoy,  Paul,  264,  268-269 


INDEX 


283 


Dickens,  Charles,  4,  101,  i33,  i4a, 

i43 
Doeberitz,  Germany,  109 
Douglas,  J.  H.,  "Captured,"  i52 
Downes,  Allen,  song  leader,  211- 

212 
Dugout,  reading  in  a,  illus.  60 
Durham,  M.  E.,  on  the  Louvain 

University  Library,  269-270 

Educational  Books  for  British 

prisoners  of  war,  io5-n5 
Educational  opportunities  in  the 

camps,  34~5o 
Embossed    printing    for    blinded 

soldiers,  202-209 
Empey,  Guy,    "Over  the  Top," 

48,  61 
English,  study  of,  3g-4i 
English  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 

77 
Erasmus,  at  Louvain,  255-256 
Exner,  Dr.,  "Friend  or  Enemy," 

68 

Farnsworth,    Henry    Weston, 

"Letters,"  160-167 
Farwell,  Arthur,  on  mass  singing, 

2l5 

Fisher,  H.  A.  L.,  letter  to,  on 
books  for  British  prisoners  of 
war,  112 

Flanders,  letters  from,  168-170, 
186-187 

Foch,  Marshal,  ig4 

Foreign  Legion,  the,  167 

Fosdick,  Raymond  B.,  5,  6,  32-33, 

4a 
France,  A.  L.  A.  in,  62-67 
France,   casino   at  Aix-les-Bains, 

65 
France,  field  hospital  in,  illus.  45; 

reading  in  dugout,  illus.  60 


France,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in,  59-66 
French,  study  of,  20,  24,  47~49, 

i5i-i52,  illus.  17 
French    artist's    letters    to    his 

mother,   1 71-174 
French  prisoners  of  war,  i53 

Garrett,    Mrs.    T.    Harrison, 

donates  her  residence  for  use  of 

blinded  soldiers,  208 
Gaskell,  Mrs.  H.  M.,  Hon.  Sec'y, 

The  War  Library,  75,  77,  79-84, 

86,  i35 
Gazette    des    Ardennes,    245-246; 

distributed  among  prisoners  of 

war,  1 56 
Gerard,  James  W.,  assistance  to 

prisoners    of    war,     Ruhleben, 

108 
German    commerce    checked    by 

British  censorship,  238-24i 
German  instructional  books,  248- 

25o 
German    newspapers    in     prison 

camps,  n4,  i55 
German    prisoners   of  war,    i5i, 

161 
German  propaganda,  and  its  fail- 
ure, 244-252 
German     publications     censored, 

229-252 
German  use  of  enemy  literature, 

246-248 
Getty,  Miss  Alice,  work  for  the 

blind,  206-208 
Gettysburg,  study  of  French  at, 

illus.  17 
Gifts,  books,  26-28;  buildings,  8 
Gillespie,    Lieut.,    "Letters    from 

Flanders,"  168-170,  186-187 
Glenn,     Major-General,     on    the 

value  of  reading,  12,  3o 
Gould,  Nat,  popularity  of,  82-83, 

84,  120,  129,  i3i 


284 


INDEX 


Grenville,  Sir  Richard,  last  words,  Illiterates  in  Camp,  35-37,  7° 

200  Irwin,  Will,  visit  to  prison  camp, 

Grey  Nunnery,  Montreal,  books  i5i 
at,  1^2 

Grondys,  L.  H.,   "The  Germans  John  Rylands  Library,  270-277 

in  Relgium,"  272-273  Jones,  Prof.  Sir  Henry,  on  books 

Guppy,  Henry,  276-277  for  prisoners  of  war,  i48 


Haig,  Sir  Douglas,  on  the  value 

of  reading,  88-89 
Hall,    James    Norman,    "Poetry 

under  the  Fire  Test,"  182-186 
Hankey,  Donald,  quoted,  191,  221 
Harraden,  Beatrice,  honorary  li- 
brarian, Military  Hospital,  En- 
dell  St.,  London,  116-123 
Hay,  Ian,  quoted,  81,  i64,  217-219 
Heath,    Arthur    George,    letters, 

174-175 
Henry,  W.  E.,  27 
Hill,  Dr.  Frank  P.,  7 
Hind,    C.    Lewis,    "The    Soldier 

Boy,"  181-182 
Hoboken,  N.  J.,  Dispatch  office, 

illus.  23,  i!\ 
Holland,  Clive,  on  books  at  the 

front,  5 1-52 
Holland,  mails   from,    232,    234- 

235 
Holt,  Miss  Winifred,  work  for  the 

blinded  soldiers,  204-206 
Hornaday,  Dr.  W.  T.,  gift,  26 
Hospital  libraries,  American,  i38- 

147;  British,  116-123,  127-138; 

Canadian,  i4i-i42 
Hospital  ship,  reading  room  on, 

illus.  48 
Hospital     train,     equipped     with 

reading  matter,  illus.  68 
Hotel  Earlington,  New  York  War 

Camp  Community  service,  illus. 

43 
Hunt,      Edward     Eyre,      "War 

Bread,"  224-225 


Kelly,  Renee,  90 
Kipling,  Rudyard,  i32,  137 
Kipling  scrap  books,  78-79 
Knights  of  Columbus'   buildings 
in     camps     and    cantonments, 
18,  3i,  32,  illus.  7,  61,  79 
Knobloch,  Miss,  83 
Kolnische  Zeilung  read  by    pris- 
oners of  war,  1 5a 

"Letters  from  Flanders,"  168- 

170,  186-187 
Letters  from  the  front,  164-177 
"Letters  of  a  Soldier,"  171-174 
Library  of  Congress,  headquarters 

of  A.  L.  A.  war  service,  8 
"Lighthouse,  The,"   (Le  Phare), 

for  the  blind,  2o4-2o5 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  telling  stories 

to  wounded  soldiers,  128-129 
Lloyd,  Robert,  song  leader,  216 
Lockwood,  J.   S.,  on  scarcity  of 

reading  matter  during  our  Civil 

War,  3 
London   chapter,    American    Red 

Cross,  57,  illus.  25 
London  General  Hospital,  Second, 

i3i;  Third,  i3i-i32 
London,  Military  Hospital,  Endell 

Street,  116-123 
London,    St.    Dunstan's    Hostel, 

2o3-2o4 
Louvain  University,  255-278 

McCowen,    Oliver,    on    British 
Y.  M.  C  A.,  99 


INDEX 


285 


MacGill,  Patrick,  "Soldier  Songs," 

222-223, 220—226 

McKenzie,  F.  A.,  on  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.,  g4 

Magazines  and  newspapers,  17-20, 

54-55,  91,  i53-i59 
Mahoney,    H.    C,    "Interned   in 

Germany,"  i55 
Mails,  censorship  of,  229-238 
Malcolm,    Ian,    "War   Pictures," 

i56-i57 
Maps,  61,  81 
Marines,    U.    S.,    Great    Lakes 

Naval  Training  Station,  Camp 

Perry,    illus.    3,    4;     receiving 

singing  lessons,  illus.  78 
Maryland  Bible  Society,  ig4 
Melvill,    Harry,    librarian,    Chief 

Postal  Censorship,  London,  243, 

246-248,  25o,  252 
Melville,  Beresford,   aid  to  War 

Library,  75 
Merriman,  H.  S.,  169 
Military      Convalescent      Home, 

Montreal,  i4i-i42 
Military     Hospital,     Endell    St., 

London,  n 6-1 23 
Military   hospital   libraries,    127- 

i47 
Millais'  "Bubbles,"  178 
Milton,  "Comus,"  i83 
Montreal,  Grey  Nunnery,  i42 
Montreal,  Military  Convalescent 

Home,  i4i-i42 
Morals,  books  and,  67-71 
Murray,    Prof.    Gilbert,    on    the 

value  of  study  for  prisoners  of 

war,  112,  i48 

Naval       Training        Station, 
Camp  Perry,  Great  Lakes,  111., 
illus.  3,  4 
Navy  (American)  Officers,  illus.  65 
Navy,  British,  75,  77,  i48 


New  York  Bible  Society,  ig5 

New  York  Public  Library,  book 
campaign,  illus.  19 

New  York  War  Camp  Com- 
munity Service,  illus,  43 

Newspapers  and  magazines,  17- 
20,  54-55,  91,  i53-i5g 

Newspapers  in  the  trenches,  illus. 
3i 

Noel,  Leon,  260 

Northcliffe,  Lord,  5i 

Nurses  reading,  188-189,  illus.  36 

Overseas  Work,  51-71 
Oxford  Book  of  Verse,  174,  175, 
188 

Paris,  American  Library  Asso- 
ciation   Headquarters,  illus. 

26 
Paris,  American  University  Union, 

illus.  21 
Parry,  Bear- Admiral,  i48 
Pearson,   Sir  Arthur,  founder  of 

St.  Dunstan's  Hostel,  2o3 
Periodicals    for     camp    libraries, 

17-20,  54-55;    for  prisoners  of 

war,  1 53-i  5g 
Pershing,  General  J.  J.,  62-63 
"Phare,    Le"    (The    Lighthouse) 

for  blinded  soldiers,  2o4-2o5 
Pictures  and  poetry,  178-190 
Platford,  J.  H.,  librarian,  Ruhle- 

ben  prison  camp,  109 
Pocket  Testament  League,  ig5 
Poetry  read  by  the  soldiers,  182- 

190 
Popular  authors,  21-22 
Prisoners   of   war,    g3,    i48-i54; 

British,  i54-i59;  Russian,  i5gr 

i63 
Propaganda,  German,  244-252 
Psalms,   The,   in   previous   wars, 

199-200 


286 


INDEX 


Putnam,  Major  George  Haven, 
on  reading  in  Libby  prison,  3 

Putnam,  Dr.  Herbert,  General 
Director,  A.  L.  A.  War  Service, 
8,  16,  3i,  32 

Raines,  Miss  Leonore,  2i4 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  200 

Raney,  Dr.  M.  L.,  Director,  A. 
L.  A.  Overseas  Service,  64-67 

Reading,  by  the  fireside,  illus.  62; 
poetry,  182-190;  popular  au- 
thors, 21-22 

Reading,  value  of,  in  convales- 
cence, 128,  i3q,  1 45 

Reconstruction  work,  201-202 

Red  Cross,  (American),  recre- 
ation huts,  56-58,  i38-i4o 

Red  Cross,  (British),  supports 
War  Library,  78 

Red  Triangle  Library,  98-99 

Re-education  of  blinded  soldiers, 
201-209 

Rhys,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest,  95 

Rice,  Alice  Hegan,  52,  i32;  ex- 
periences in  base  hospital,  i43 

Ridge,  W.  Pett,  experiences  as  a 
hospital  librarian,  i32-i35 

Robins,  Elizabeth,  honorary  li- 
brarian, Military  Hospital,  En- 
dell  St.,  London,  116 

Roosevelt,  Colonel  Theodore,  55, 
196-197 

Rosenwald,  Julius,  gift,  26 

Ruhleben  prison  camp  noted  for 
amount  of  reading  and  study 
done  there,  io5,  107-109,  n3- 
u4,  i49 

Russian  prisoners  of  war  desire 
informational  reading,  i6i-i63 

Russian  soldier,  142 

Sargeant,  George  H,  274 
Scrap  books  for  convalescents,  78- 
79 


Seaford,  England,  Canadians  at, 

45,  illus.  18 
Seeger,  Alan,  53 

Serious  reading  done  by  the  sol- 
diers, 12-17 
Shakespeare    asked    for    by    the 

men,  i3,  22,  43,  80-81,  i46 
Shell  shock,  reading  as  a  therapeu- 
tic aid  in,  i45 
Singing  soldiers,  210-226 
Sladen,  Douglas,  "In  Ruhleben," 

n3 
Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Club,  Paris, 

illus.  36 
Spanish,  study  of,  i5o-i5i 
Spearing,    Miss    E.    M.,    "From 

Cambridge  to  Camiers,"   188- 

189 
St.    Dunstan's    Hostel,    London, 

2o3-2o4,  illus.  73,  74 
Stevenson,     Burton     E.,     20-26; 

European  representative  of  the 

A.  L.  A.,  65 
Stevenson,    R.    L.,    "Requiem," 

190;    "Treasure  Island,"  121 
Stiles,    Vernon,    concert    soloist, 

216 
Students,  college,  37 
Students  in  khaki,  38 
Studies  of  prisoners  of  war,  107- 

n3 
Studying  French,  4g,  i5i-i52 
Surrey  House,  London,  70-76 

Taft,  Wm.  H,  3o 
Talbot,  Rev.  N.  S.,  191-192 
Tarkington,  Booth,  i4i 
Technical  books,  12-17 
Thompson,  Francis,  io3 
Tilton,  E.  L.,  architect,  n 
Times  (London),   "Broadsheets," 

i65 
Times  (London),  quoted,  243 
Times    (London),  smuggled    into 


INDEX 


287 


prison    camps,    i53-i54,    157- 

i58 
Tolstoi,  Leo,  170,  172 
Trenches,  books  in  the,  ilius.  37; 

newspapers  in  the,  illus.  3i 
Trollope,  Anthony,  52 
Tweedy,  Lawrence  L.,  58 

Uneducated,  the,  35-37 
United    States    Christian    Com- 
mission, 4~5 
United    States     Commission    on 
Training    Camp    Activities,    7, 
3i,  32 
University    of   Louvain,    history, 
255-26i;   library,  261-274;   re- 
construction, 27^-278 
"University  of  Ruhleben,"  n3 
University      (American)      Union, 
Paris,  illus.  21 

Valentin  Hauy  Association, 
2o5-2o6 

Vancouver  Barracks,  illus.  12,  52 

Van  der  Essen,  Leon,  on  the 
Louvain  University  Library, 
270,  273 

Vanderlip,  Frank  A.,  29 

Vossische  Zeitung,  read  by  pris- 
oners of  war,  n4,  i55 

Wandsworth,     Eng.,     Military 

Hospital,  i3i 
War  Library  (British),  70-84,  i3o, 

i36 
Ward,  Col.  Sir  Edward,  and  the 

Camps  Library,  85,  87 
Washington,  Booker  T.,  life  of,  26 
Watertown,  Mass.,  Arsenal,  illus. 

58 


Watts,  G.  F.,  "Sic  transit  gloria 
mundi"  182 

Wayland,  Prof.  Francis,  in  charge 
of  Connecticut  regimental  li- 
brary during  our  Civil  War,  4 

Wells,  H.  G.,  "Mr.  Britling,"  i64- 
i65 

Wheaton,  H.  H.,  34 

"Wheel,  The,"  207 

Wilson,  President  Woodrow,  ad- 
monition to  men  of  army  and 
navy,  194-196 

Witley,  England,  45 

Women  in  charge  of  the  Military 
Hospital,  Endell  St.,  London, 
116 

Women  serving  as  librarians  in 
some  of  the  camps,  9,  illus.  11 

Wood,  Major  Eric  Fisher,  on 
British  Censorship,  242 

Wood,  Major-General  Leonard, 
on  the  importance  of  singing, 
211-212 

Wordsworth,  102;  "Happy  War- 
rior," 187 

Wright,  C.  T.  Hagberg,  assists 
British  War  Library,  76;  col- 
lects books  for  Russian  prisoners 
of  war,  159-161 

Wyeth,  Ola  M.,  i44 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  (American)  Bible 
distribution,  193;  educational 
work,  35,  36,  46,  i49-i5o; 
libraries  in  huts,  3i,  5g-6i 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  (British)  libraries  in 
France,  94-104,  178-180 

Y.  W.  C.  A.  Hostess  House,  Camp 
Devens,  illus.  8 


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